Arkansas Times

ARKANSAS’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF POLITICS AND CULTURE ■ JANUARY 13, 2011

www.arktimes.com

DRY

HOLE How Arkansas got the shaft on severance tax increase.

BY ERNEST DUMAS PAGE 10

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Judicial rumors n Now that Mark Pryor is Arkansas’s senior senator, scuttlebutt has changed in regards to pending federal judicial vacancies in Arkansas. A seat in the Western District, where Judge Harry Barnes took senior status, remains an open question.

A seat in the Eastern District in Little Rock likewise still lacks a nominee.

Here’s where the scuttlebutt comes in.

Word comes that Pryor is pushing hard for nomination of Amy Russell, wife of his former top aide Bob Russell, for the judgeship. It’s a move that doesn’t sit well with some Democrats, who believe a Democratic president should look at hard at political credentials. Russell is a former campaign contributor to George W. Bush. She reportedly is now under White House review.

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Wrinkle in robbery

n Joe Alley, who shot two alleged robbers who’d taken cash from him at his Joe’s Grocery and Deli on Col. Glenn Road earlier this week, has a criminal record on drug charges that raises the question of whether he could legally possess a gun.

The Times uncovered this information last week and other media subsequently followed up on our report, confirmed by Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley and the case file.

Alley entered negotiated pleas June 11, 2001, to two Class D felony charges for failing to report sales of “drug precursors,” specifically pseudoephedrine, used in making methamphetamines.

He received four years’ probation and a $10,000 fine. He was initially charged with five felonies, including manufacture of meth at the grocery. His wife Sana was also charged, but charges against her were dropped. Information in the file said he sold bulk quantities of over-the-counter drugs used in making meth, including on several occasions to undercover officers.

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n State law prohibits people convicted of felonies from owning or possessing firearms. Prosecutor Larry Jegley said Alley had told police officers that his attorney in the case had taken steps to restore his firearm rights, but we’ve been unable to contact his attorney to confirm that. A motion to seal the file in his case because Alley completed probation is pending.

That might qualify Alley for expungement of his record and end the bar to his possession of a weapon.

The case file shows that a condition of his probation was that he not possess a weapon. Alley told the Democrat-Gazette in an article published Friday that there’d Continued on page 9

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www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 3

Smart talk

Contents

Organizing prison guards

8 Classifying sex

n Prison guard unions have become powerful political players in other states — California particularly — but have not existed in Arkansas until recently. But the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees started a chapter representing Arkansas prison guards about six months ago and it now has about 100 members, a tiny percentage of the workforce. But the union is already at work gathering information, somewhat to the bosses’ discomfort.

For example, the union has learned that the state Correction Department doesn’t automatically pay all overtime when incurred, instead doling out accumulated hours on an irregular basis, often quarterly. According to a recent accounting, guards systemwide were owed more than $10 million for holiday work hours and about $1.8 million for accrued overtime pay.

Reportedly, some guards sometimes quit their jobs so they can be paid overtime accumulations, then apply for their old jobs again. The issue could become a subject for legislative discussions this year.

offenders

Does the public need to know about all sex offenders? The state agency that handles the publication of such names thinks some should be exempted, but says the process is a careful one. — By David Koon

10 Raise the gas tax HELLO?: The Arkansas Department of Correction confiscated 277 cell phones in 2010.

‘Cell’ phones a problem in Arkansas

SURVIVOR: An example of a living red-winged blackbird.

Beebe’s blackbirds n When thousands of blackbirds fell dead New Year’s Eve over Beebe, it became an international sensation. It was a slow news time. And, well, it was weird.

Columbia Journalism Review rounded up the headline funny business the bird story generated and various angles on the story taken by media outlets. Mentioned prominently was KATV in Little Rock, which had a segment featuring calls to the Beebe police dispatcher that night. A sample exchange between the calm dispatcher Mary and a concerned citizen: Caller: “I don’t know if this is silly or not but...”

Dispatcher: “You’ve got birds everywhere?”

Caller: “Yes.”

n Mara Leveritt reports that the Arkansas Department of Correction confiscated 277 contraband cell phones in prison units in 2010, about a quarter of them in the Varner Unit, which operates the top security Supermax Unit. Leveritt sought the information following reports that Georgia inmates had coordinated a work stoppage with hidden cell phones.

It’s a felony for an inmate to possess a cell phone and for someone to supply one to a prisoner. Spokeswoman Dina Tyler said: “Cell phones are probably the biggest security threat we face. Inmates want cell phones so they can have conversations that aren’t recorded ... conversations that are out of our earshot.

And that’s not because they don’t want us to hear about Aunt Betty’s painful gout or Uncle Bill’s tendency to drink too much.

“It’s because they don’t want us to hear what they are planning. Cases in point: our last three escapes were orchestrated with cell phones, including the 2009 escape from Cummins. Cell phones and inmates are a dangerous combination.”

Words n Thanks to recent articles in the newspaper, I now know what to call a person from the Ivory Coast, should I ever bump into one: “Force out Ivorian, nations are urged.”

It’s pronounced i-VOR-e-an.

I would have guessed Ivory Coaster, and I kind of like the sound of that, possibly because it reminds me of the old ’50s singing group, The Coasters. They were more ebony than ivory, I think. n Jim von Tungeln writes: “I was wondering if you might join a group seeking to have the legislature assess a $500 fine per person for each use of the word ‘awesome’ more than once a month? We could sure build some roads and bridges with the proceeds.”

4 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Gas exploration in the Fayetteville Shale was supposed to be a win-win for Arkansas. But tricky lobbyists and a price downturn have dampened the return and state roads are paying the price.

— By Ernest Dumas

14 The play’s

the thing

Time is running out to double your money in supporting a critical renovation for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

— By Max Brantley

DEPARTMENTS

3 The Insider

4 Smart Talk

5 The Observer

6 Letters

7 Orval 8-13 News

14 Opinion

17 Arts & Entertainment

31 Dining

37 Crossword/ Tom Tomorrow

38 Lancaster

VOLUME 37, NUMBER 19

Doug Smith doug@arktimes.com

Sign me up. Actually, I thought awesome had topped out a few years back, when it first made the List of Banished Words published annually by Lake Superior State University in Michigan, but apparently it refuses to go quietly.

The latest list of overused words has just been released. Epic is on there, and one contributor says, “Standards for using ‘epic’ are so low, even ‘awesome’ is embarrassed.”

At the top of the “overused” list is viral, described as “a linguistic disease of a term that must be quarantined.” Viral might be used legitimately, though, in reference to the new speaker of the House, John Boehner, who looks as if a virus has turned him a funny color. I’ve come up with a nickname for Boehner in the event that he becomes a tyrannical sort of speaker. (As he probably will. He’s a Republican.) We could call him The Orange Crush. I’ll have to insist that I be given credit — and a quarter — each time the name is used. Man cannot live by roads and bridges alone.

LSSU also banishes Mama Grizzly, but before it goes, I’d like to see a horror movie called “Mama Grizzly Meets Octomom.” Music by The Ivory Coasters.

ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985.

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The Observer wasn’t the only person stopped dead in their tire tracks on Lee Street by the giant rainbow-colored hand giving the peace symbol to the world, nor the only one who photographed it.

This peace sign is going down in history, thanks to Facebook postings.

We knocked on the door to find out who had crafted the snowy gesture, but no one was home. We had to look for clues to their character. Christmas decorations in yard and on and around the door still up. An American flag and a Razorback flag flying on a pole stuck in the garden.

Conclusion: Relaxed, happy, artistic, and someone who got to stay home on Monday. Let’s give him or her a hand.

him we still don’t know it. He hops away, hops back, and asks for the same song.

This time, or maybe the next one, I tell him to get lost, or probably nastier words to that effect. He hops away.

“At the break I’m talking to the bartender and point out the obnoxious little guy. The bartender says, ‘Oh, yeah. That’s Don Tyson. Last month he tipped a band a thousand dollars for playing a song for him.’ ”

A check engine light winked

to life on the futuristic gauge cluster of the Mobile Observatory the other day; a tiny glowing “Maint. Req’d,” right next to the light that flashes when we arm the antitailgater missiles in the back bumper.

If you’re prone to guilt, as We’re nervous about check engine The Observer is, it’s possible your delight lights. The Observer knows our way in the big snow that fell Sunday was tem- around cars, but ever since the good ol’ pered by seeing drivers in distress. As we carburetor gave way to fuel injection and were walking to a playground to play in computers, we think twice before opening the snow and the hood when give the old something dog a run, we worse than a saw a pair of belt or hose men haplessly goes wrong. pushing a car Instead, we up the steep take our ride street beside to Foster’s us, the driver Garage downtrying her best town. We’ve PEACE, BRO: In pink and blue stuff. to help by received no bouncing forcompensation ward, as if she were encouraging a horse. for this endorsement, but we will say we They were hoping to find a flat street, have had very good luck there in the past, which ain’t easy in Little Rock. with them wrenching out more than a Seconds later, a truck came barreling few mechanical gremlins that have left us down the same snow-slicked street, too stumped. This go-round, while informing fast for dry conditions even, and the young beloved Spouse of the decision, we had man riding in the bed raised his Bud Light the following familial exchange: to us in salute. Woohoo! yelled the guys ME (to Spouse): The car’s got a light in the truck. on. We need to take it to Foster’s Garage Guilt isn’t on their list at all. Alas, they for a checkup. were acting their age.

JUNIOR (taking his nose out of a book): Did you say you’re gonna put me In memoriam, from The in foster care?

Observer’s friend: ME: Yes. “Fayetteville Country Club, circa JUNIOR: REALLY?!

1971. Our band is playing for a dance.

And, scene.

Some dorky little guy is right in front of Call us crazy, but we tend to think me, not so much dancing as just hopping, it’s a good thing that he carries around a hopping, like a pogo stick. He hops up to little bag of breadcrumbs like Hansel and me and requests a song. I tell him we don’t Gretel. With him heading into the teenknow that one. He hops away, hops back, age years soon, it’s probably better to be and requests the same song again. I tell feared than loved.

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What a great issue you gave your readers just before Christmas! I don’t know which essay to put first, but everything printed on pages 16 & 17 (the opinion pages) was wise, insightful, and instructive — a home run with all the bases loaded.

Bill Shepherd Little Rock

Coffee stop overlooked My favorite place in Hillcrest is the original Coffee House, River City Tea, Coffee and Cream. Recently in the Arkansas Times “What’s Cooking” section the writer stated that Rosalia’s Family Bakery “...will fill a coffee shop void in Hillcrest and may give Starbucks some competition.” This statement is in error.

River City has been the hub of Hillcrest for decades and I believe was one of the first places in Little Rock to sell fine coffee in the bean, freshly ground, or in the cup. During the Christmas holiday while I sat at the cafe drinking my cappucino made from beans roasted in Little Rock I overheard customers from Little Rock and other parts of the state sharing memories of coming to River City over the years. I shared in the warm thoughts, remembering visits with my daughter, since grown and moved to Colorado, on beautiful fall days, coming into peruse and eventually select our truffles to share.

Today Lisa Coleman runs the friendly, truly neighborhood coffee shop. Customers find a great selection of coffees and teas — by the pound or by the cup. Lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, or plain. To go, sitting in the comfy couches, or sitting at one of the cozy tables checking your email on Wi-Fi — all available. Next door is the Freckled Frog, a great place to wander in, selling jewelry, candles, T-shirts, etc. made by over 50 Arkansas artisans.

My final words go out to all Hillcrest residents. Let’s support the local small business owners in Hillcrest! Our coffee house, a bakery, local crafts, our post office, our remodeled grocery, etc. Let’s keep this a great neighborhood where we know the shop owners and love their wares.

Becky Williams Little Rock

Hate in Arkansas

First United

Methodist Church 723 Center Street • Little Rock 501.372.2256 • www.fumclr.org 6 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Beverly Clary (Arkansas Times, Dec. 16) asks why there is so much hate in the world.

I would like to know why there is so much hate in Arkansas. Day after day I read letters to the editor (Democrat Gazette) that exhibit so much hate, racism and prejudice. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. It truly makes me wonder exactly what is being preached in the churches around here, certainly not love thy neighbor. A person’s skin color, religious, or non-religious belief, and sexual orienta-

tion should be no one else’s business. This country was born so people could be free to live the life they choose. I have to shake my head in disgust when someone remarks that he is a true Christian, but yet he is the one to make the most hateful statements. President Obama has a very difficult job. Whether you voted for him or not, agree with his policies or not, he is the president of this great nation, and he needs everyone’s support. So quit the Obama bashing! As for gays in the military, so what? How many of you have grown sons who have not served in the military because they simply don‘t want to? At least there are gay folks who will step up to the plate to defend their country. They have been treated unfairly. If they want to marry and adopt kids, good for them! There is probably more love in a homosexual household than a “normal” household. So let’s all take Beverly Clary’s advice and step outside the box. Arkansans must quit being so hateful!

There is a very powerful protest song, Eve of Destruction, written by Barry McGuire, in the ’60s. I would encourage you to read the lyrics to that song. A line in the last verse that can very well apply to Arkansas, “hate your next door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace.” This song is just as relevant today as it was back then.

R.A. Redd Conway

So far, the state has collected only about $55 million in gas severance tax revenue, while incurring over $250 million in destroyed roads that the taxpayers will have to pay to have rebuilt. This does not take into account the polluted water wells and long-term damage to the environment by way of the fracking process to obtain natural gas.

Arkansas is required by our Constitution to annually balance our state budget.

But now we find that the state is over $300 million in the hole for unemployment taxes paid out that we did not have. How does this equate to a supposed balanced budget for 2010? The taxpayers were lied to again.

Now we are still faced with the fact that about 50 percent of our residents actually pay no income tax at all, while they are supported by the other 50 percent who work and earn a living. How much longer can a society continue to function with that imbalance in existence? And we expect to again lower the sales tax on food, when that is the only tax that many of the drones of our populace actually ever pay.

Unless everyone gets on board and works to make our state function, I predict that the taxpaying portion of our population will continue to be stiffed when the legislature comes into session.

Tom M. Ferstl Little Rock

John Tarpley’s supervisor, boss, or whatever needs to get this guy an anger management counselor!

Damn, his hate-filled rant against Rodney Carrington was a bit of a, well, verbal hate crime. I myself am not a fan of the comedian, simply because I find his comedy hokey and tired, but for Mr. Tarpley to encourage readers to hate the man is pretty intense. Carrington is no more of a comedic annoyance than say, I don’t know, Steve Harvey for example. Would Tarpley have encouraged readers to hate Harvey for his stupid moronic jokes? I think not, because that would not be PC. Tarpley ... chill out.

You don’t appreciate Carrington’s type of humor, that’s fine. That is your opinion. My opinion of him is that his comedy routine is corny, predictable, and, simply not my taste.

But to continuously encourage readers to literally “hate him” is simply childish.

S. Simpson From the Internet

House freshmen disappoint

Those dead birds More than a thousand dead birds fell from the sky over Beebe recently. Perhaps this is a sign from God that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee shouldn’t run for president in 2012.

Kenneth L. Zimmerman Huntington Beach, Calif.

Legislation needed It appears to me that there are several items of state business that remain unanswered and need to be addressed by the 2011 legislature.

Am I alone in my astonishment that the new majority in the United States House of Representatives feels it necessary to read the Constitution to its members? In what reality does someone run for Congress without being fully familiar with that document? This seems analogous to reading Grey’s Anatomy to a class of new residents and hardly a show of confidence by the leadership, in its freshman class.

Pamela Kell Little Rock

School consolidation I read that one legislator wants countywide school districts. The biggest aversion besides control is “who will be the redheaded stepchild.”

A few years ago I worked at a carpet store in Jefferson County. One summer we replaced floors in all the schools in the school district. As I visited each school, I noticed the schools closest to the administration building were freshly painted and had more square foot of flooring replaced. The schools farther away from the admin building were not as nice. I imagine if they treat the building that way, they treat the faculty the same.

Just like in Pulaski County, Jacksonville is their red headed stepchild.

I suggest this topic needs more study and politicking before it gets introduced into the legislature.

David E. Dinwiddie Pine Bluff

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THE WEEK THAT WAS JAN. 5-11, 2011 IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR …

SNOW. A good 5 to 6 inches hit the Little Rock area, putting a crimp in legislative session opening festivities. But that was nothing compared to some motorists stranded for 12 hours in huge traffic accidents on Interstate 30.

The Arkansas Reporter

Phone: 501-375-2985­ Fax: 501-375-3623 Arkansas Times Online home page: http://www.arktimes.com E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com ■

■

The sexual offender list Who’s on it and why it is complicated.

BY DAVID KOON

DAVID O. DODD. The Little Rock man hanged for spying on the United States during the Civil War is still dead, but 100 Civil War hobbyists turned out to honor his memory as they do every year. The DemocratGazette lavished its customary attention to the dead traitor— nearly a full page of newsprint for Dodd and his Lost Cause sympathizers. That’s a column inch for every attendee. Comparable attention to a Razorback game would require a 500-page newspaper.

ELANA WILLS. Having completed a sparkling stint as fill-in justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, she was appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe to the state Public Service Commission.

Good choice to succeed Paul Suskie.

IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR …

AMERICA. A disturbed young Arizona man shot 20 people, killing six, including a federal judge, and critically wounding U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Then came the debate: Does overheated rhetoric and violent imagery help breed such acts?

Of course they do, even if they had no impact on the tortured soul charged with this particular crime.

GUN NUTS. Arizona has the loosest gun laws in the country — no permit or background check for concealed carry and open carry is permitted.

The week’s events don’t support the argument that such laws make people safer. It didn’t deter the strongest gun advocates, who said they wouldn’t be silent until no legal restriction remains on carrying firearms, including semi-automatic weapons with oversized magazines, such as that used in the Tucson massacre.

HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT MOORE. The popular new speaker reached across the aisle to include Republicans in key leadership roles.

That’s good. Not so good: Calling for courage to remake the formula for producing money to build highways.

Diverting existing money is a bad idea.

8 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

n This started the way a lot of our stories do: with an e-mail.

Back before Christmas, a man dropped us a line. He is friends with a young woman who’d been victimized as a young teen-ager by a man named Daniel Ernest Utter.

Back in 2008, Utter — a history teacher and basketball coach who was then working at Paris High School — was arrested after the young woman, then 17, came forward and said that she and Utter had sex on several occasions in Jacksonville hotel rooms from 2002 to 2005, when Utter worked at Cabot Junior High. Utter eventually pled guilty to second-degree sexual assault, and was placed on five years probation, with 36 months supervised.

Since then, the woman had checked the online website of the Arkansas Crime Information Center’s sex offender database from time to time, waiting for Utter’s name to pop up there. It never did. A little phone tag with the Lonoke County prosecuting attorney’s office and other agencies found that Daniel Utter moved to Grisham, Ore., in 2008. In March 2010, his probation officer there sent along a letter requesting that Utter’s parole be terminated early — a request that Lonoke County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Bart Dickinson said he recommended shouldn’t happen. As for whether Utter was eventually released from probation early, however, both Dickinson and a spokesperson for the Cabot Police said they just didn’t know.

Just as interesting as finding out the whereabouts of Daniel Utter was something else we learned during the course of our phone calls. In addition to the publicly available list of sex-offenders maintained by the ACIC, there is a second, confidential list of those considered to be at Continued on page 9

THE LIST: With offenders ranked and mapped.

■­

SEX OFFENDERS Continued from page 8

a low risk to re-offend.

Sex offenders are graded level 1 through 4, with level 1 being the lowest risk, and level 4 being the highest. Levels 3 and 4 are always on the public list, as are all level 2 offenders whose crime was against a victim under the age of 14. While Utter’s name has never appeared on the public list, a law enforcement source says that Utter’s name is on the police-only list — which probably means he was originally classified as a level 1 or level 2 offender (both the Cabot Police and the Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney’s office said they don’t know Utter’s level, and officials with ACIC said they couldn’t release that information).

Whatever the case, his victim was not informed when he pulled up stakes for Oregon.

There are currently 8,987 people registered as sex offenders in Arkansas, with the numbers sketching a classic bell curve from 1 to 4. At one end are 908 level 1 offenders. At the other end of the curve are the level fours — 325 total. Many of the level 4 offenders are the stuff of nightmares: sociopaths for whom rape and molestation goes beyond the opportunistic and into a predatory compulsion.

Sheri Flynn is the director of SOSRA (Sex Offender Screening and Risk Assessment), the state agency based in Pine Bluff that determines whether those convicted of sex offenses are classified as level 1, 2, 3 or 4. Flynn said that Arkansas is nearly unique in the way it assesses sex offenders for their danger to re-offend, which in turn determines the level of community

INSIDER

Continued from page 3 been a gun in the store since he took it over in 1979.

Jegley said he wasn’t prepared to comment on what course he might take, if any, if Alley still was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He said he first wants to see investigations from Little Rock police on the reported robbery of the store and then on the review of Alley’s shooting of two suspects.

One was shot in the leg and the other was shot in the chest but both are expected to survive. They drove away from the scene, but didn’t get far before stopping and calling 911 for medical assistance.

We tried to call Alley. His son answered the store telephone and said his father was not granting further in-

“I am certainly no proponent of being easy on sex offenders, but we have to use common sense, and we have to do it on an individualized basis or it dilutes the system to the point that it’s not doing any good.”

UNLISTED: Daniel Utter. notification about their movements.

In the case of level 1 offenders, only those in their household are informed of their whereabouts. While other states use actuarial tables, past criminal history or the crime the person was eventually convicted of as a guide for grading, Flynn said those things can paint a misleading picture if considered alone. Instead, SOSRA relies on a series of interviews, psychological reviews and lie-detector tests designed to ferret out a buried life that offenders may have hidden from everyone but their victims. The process can take months (much to the consternation of victims), but by the time that process is over, Flynn said, she feels very confident that the number assigned to an offender is the correct one.

As an example, Flynn points to the case of a 41-year-old man with a clean criminal record who was convicted of molesting the 5-year-old daughter of a

terviews. Asked about the old case, he said, “That was over 15 years ago.” He referred questions to Alley’s attorney.

According to a record of the case, Alley was charged for incidents in 2000.

Partisan government

An orientation session was held recently for newly elected county clerks, including Dennis Milligan of Saline County. Milligan didn’t attend, another attendee reported. But a man who said he represented Milligan, and who identified himself as an employee of the Republican Party, said he had one question: “He wanted to know how Milligan could fire all his employees,” our source said.

Milligan shortly created a local controversy by firing several employees, including one he’d initially told would be retained. She was fired after posting regrets for her colleagues on a Face-

friend.

“In any other state in the United States, he would have likely been a level 1,” Flynn said. “When we finished with our interview process, he had admitted to 50 other victims. He knew that because he kept a list, and he wrote down every child’s name. He admitted that he could spot children in public on playgrounds and know which ones he could abuse. He admitted that he’d married women to gain access.

He admitted that he befriended families and gained their trust to offend on their children. So when we finished our assessment, he’s a level 4 in Arkansas.”

While keeping the name of an offender like that in the ears of the public is a no-brainer, Flynn said that there’s good reason to keep the names of those at the other end of the spectrum — the level 1 and some level 2 offenders, most of whom never commit another sex crime after they’re caught — private. Flynn asked us to consider a 19or 20-year-old who got caught having consensual sex with a 13-year-old girl. Is it worth ruining his life, not to mention blackballing him from society, work, and housing so the name of every offender on the list can be public? Too, Flynn points out, while most people think of child molesters when they hear the words “sex offender,” Arkansas requires registration as a sex offender for a number of other crimes, including the false imprisonment or

book page and saying she’d pray for them. She’s filed a lawsuit over her firing. The state Constitution gives county officials broad authority to hire and fire employees, but it will be a question for a court to decide whether that includes firing someone for exercising a free speech right.

Milligan didn’t return our call on his representative at the clerks’ meeting.

Blast from the past

It’s ancient history now, but some might remember Paul Levy, director of the state energy office in Bill Clinton’s first term as Arkansas governor in 1979-80. He was one of several brainy Yankees who joined the Clinton team and soon found themselves crosswise locally for — how would you put it? — overly ambitious ways. In Levy’s case, he made the mistake of wisecracking to Arkansas Democrat columnist

kidnapping of a minor by someone other than their parent, or exposing a partner to HIV. “The worst problem that I see in this country is that there is a move to put [the name of] every sex offender out there, and people no longer know who they need to be worried about and who they don’t,” Flynn said.

If all low-level offenders were put on the public list, she said, the effect could wind up being counterproductive.

“You keep them from getting a job.

You keep them from having someplace to live. You isolate them from society.

You keep them away from supervision,” Flynn said. “You move them out into the country where they have no family, no friends, no support system.

And guess what? All of the research is showing that makes a worse sex offender. ... I am certainly no proponent of being easy on sex offenders, but we have to use common sense, and we have to do it on an individualized basis or it dilutes the system to the point that it’s not doing any good.”

The weak link in all this, of course, is the weak link in any human system: it’s based on people, who must make choices. To counteract that, Flynn said, the system is multi-layered, with tiers of redundancy built into the review process. Flynn said she believes it to be the best assessment process in the country, adding that it has been copied by law enforcement agencies around the nation. She’s confident that if her team puts an offender at level 1 or 2, that’s where the person should be.

“We take very, very seriously assigning a level 1, because we know that no community notification will be done,” she said, “We don’t take that lightly.”

and managing editor John R. Starr about a newspaper report on an agency expenditure on a staff retreat, including corkscrews for attendees. It helped inspire a regular Boondoggler award from Starr, mostly awarded to Clinton administration efforts. Levy soon enough was gone, along with Clinton, defeated by Frank White in 1980.

Levy was in the news this week in Boston after he stepped down as CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center after nine years. Boston newspaper accounts credit him with guiding the nonprofit to financial health, but he also was embroiled in controversy over his relationship with a female staff member, a relationship that prompted a $50,000 fine from the hospital board.

Levy said that controversy played no role in his decision to leave. He said he was 60 and wanted to re-evaluate his career. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 9

Try, try again

The politics aren’t favorable, but the facts say a 2008 compromise didn’t put a big enough severance tax on natural gas production.

BY ERNEST DUMAS

BRIAN CHILSON

R

10 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

emember when the legislature and Governor Beebe, in the spring of 2008, solved a big part of Arkansas’s highway funding problems by enacting the first serious tax on natural gas production in 60 years?

How did that turn out?

Not so well, obviously. The state Highway Commission and its goodroads constituents are back lobbying for a big road-building program when the legislature convenes in January — either new motor fuel taxes, the reassignment of some existing sales taxes to the highways or a new sales tax, any of them pledged to back highway bonds.

Receipts from the gas severance tax, 95 percent of which go to highways, roads and streets, are running barely more than half the amounts that were forecast in 2008, and there is a fresh recognition that while natural gas production has exceeded the forecast, the tax receipts will probably never come close to matching the forecast. Wellhead prices for gas have slumped the past 18 months because the recession has reduced demand and because drilling in other shale plays besides the Fayetteville shale from the Adirondacks to the Rockies have filled pipelines and storage with an overabundance of gas.

But the depressed market and prices are not the only reasons that tax revenues for the highways have fallen so far short of the predictions of that fall, when Governor Beebe told highway advocates that the severance tax would produce far more than the $100 millionplus a year that had been predicted.

The tax law, which was written by gas industry lawyers and rushed through the legislature in three days, is full of holes. Not much gas is actually taxed at the law’s stated rate of 5 percent of the wellhead price but at 1.5 percent

or even less. The tax bill was drafted to exempt most gas from the 5 percent tax and also to bluff the legislature from ever trying to amend the provisions to make the tax more productive. The act says three-fourths of the both houses of the legislature will have to vote to increase the tax on any gas, although that plainly violates the state Constitution.

The tax can be raised to 2.6 percent of the market price by a simple majority vote. That was the tax rate when the Constitution was amended to require a three-fourths vote to raise any tax rate above its 1934 level.

So the Highway Commission is back seeking another big source of money for road building and maintenance. Revenues from motor-fuel taxes, the main highway-funding source, have been flat or declining for six years.

The Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance, which has recommended a big highway program to the governor and legislature, has floundered in its search for some plan that Governor Beebe would embrace or that might eke through the more conservatively entrenched legislature. Its members have talked about raiding general revenues, levying a new sales tax or increasing the gallonage tax on motor fuels in some way that would not trigger the Constitution’s three-fourths vote requirement to pass most tax increases.

The reactionary political climate, put in stark relief in the general election this month, makes all of those options remote. With a legislature dominated by freshmen, most of them pledged to vote against all taxes, the prospect of passing a tax program of any size, much less one of the magnitude the Highway Department says it needs, seems preposterous.

Could the natural gas severance tax still be the solution?

Sheffield Nelson thinks so. Nelson,

the former president of the state’s largest gas distribution company, engineered the severance tax law in 2008 by starting a petition drive to put an initiated act on the ballot that would tax natural gas production at the rate of 7 percent of the wellhead price, the same rate as Texas, the nation’s No. 1 producer of gas. When Beebe, at the urging of the gas industry and business interests, called a special session to levy a smaller tax, Nelson dropped his initiative effort and supported the Beebe and industry bill.

But Nelson says it is time to make a stab at a real severance tax.

The state needs a big infusion of road revenues, Nelson said this month, and the need is magnified by the immense destruction of roads in the swath of counties in the shale play. Gas producers who are reaping healthy profits from shale exploration, not everyday road users, are the ones who should pay in Nelson’s estimation.

Unlike most other business taxes, a production tax cannot be passed on to consumers because it is not sold directly to the distributor. The tax has to be borne by the producer and, to a small extent, by royalty owners.

But no matter if the tax wouldn’t raise consumer prices, the legislature is not apt to pass a severance tax, even one calibrated to pass with a simple majority in both houses. The General Assembly will include 44 Republican House members and 15 Republican senators, nearly all committed to vote against taxes. In that case, Nelson said, he might push again for an initiated act that would produce a better stream of revenue.

He did not regret striking a deal with Beebe to withdraw his initiative petition, and he said the governor deserved credit for passing even the anemic act that taxes gas at a rate far below that of nearly every other gas-producing state. But the state must do better, he said.

If Nelson starts an initiative petition calling for a flat tax of 5 or 7 percent it might produce a reprise of Beebe’s 2008 campaign to raise a smaller tax. But he almost certainly could not corral 75 votes in the House and 27 in the Senate in the new legislature.

From 1947 until 2008 Arkansas left natural gas production virtually untaxed. While other energyrich states like Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana were taxing production at rates of 5 to 7 percent of market prices, with some exclusions, Arkansas taxed it at the rate of three-tenths of a penny per thousand cubic feet (mcf). In 1996, when Arkansas gas production peaked at 225 billion cubic feet, the state reaped only $673,000 from the severance tax.

At Texas’s rate and at 1996 gas prices, it would have produced nearly 100 times that amount that year — about $60 million.

Arkansas had not always taxed gas production so weakly. The first tax on the harvest of natural resources in 1923 taxed most minerals, including gas, at the rate of 2.5 percent of their cash value, and that was raised in 1927 to 2.6 percent.

Why the legislature nearly abolished the tax on gas in 1947 is not clear. Gov. Ben T. Laney wanted to raise revenues in his second term by increasing taxes on liquor, cigarettes, incomes and minerals.

Taxes on most minerals were raised — he lifted the

BRIAN CHILSON

SHEFFIELD NELSON: Wants Arkansas to raise severance tax on gas to produce revenue for roads.

tax on oil, the source of his personal wealth, from 2.6 percent to 4 percent — but when the bill exited the legislature the price-based tax on natural gas had not been increased but repealed altogether and replaced by the invisible rate of 3/20ths of a penny per mcf. (It was raised to 3/10ths of a penny 10 years later.)

More than likely the gas tax cut was the work of W. R. “Witt” Stephens, who had acquired Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Co. two years earlier and was about to embark on acquisition of a dominant interest in gas exploration and distribution in the region. He had already invested heavily in political influence.

Stephens would thereafter squelch every effort to raise the tax, except the little increase that he permitted in Gov. Orval Faubus’s modest tax program in 1947 from 3/20ths to 3/10ths of a penny per thousand cubic feet. Stephens considered any attempt to raise the tax on gas a personal affront.

If the tax had not been slashed just as gas exploration in South Arkansas and the Arkoma Basin in western Arkansas burgeoned, it would have provided a huge source of revenue the last half of the century, as it did in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

From 1976 through 2008, the last year of the tiny tax, it produced a grand total of $16 million. If the tax had remained at the 1947 rate, 2.6 percent of market value, which was lower than other states in the region, it would have produced $546 million over that 33-year period. If the rate had been 5 percent, the average of other states, it would have proContinued on page 12

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 11

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12 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

duced $1 billion. At Texas’s rate, it would have produced $1.4 billion.

Nelson, who succeeded Stephens as president of Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. in 1972, defied the rest of the gas industry in 1983 by campaigning to increase the severance tax, but an effort by Governor Clinton, with Nelson’s help, to raise the tax never made it out of a committee. Rep. Jodie Mahony of El Dorado, who sponsored the bill although his family had gas interests, later said he detected little effort

by Clinton to pass the bill. It would have helped pay for school reforms.

When the new technology of horizontal drilling opened the Fayetteville shale play to exploration and high-production wells in the last decade, Nelson announced that he would direct a petition drive to put a 7 percent tax on the ballot in 2008. The prospect of the voters levying a stiff tax softened industry opposition to any increase. Gov. Beebe said he would call the legislature into special session to enact a more modest tax, one that still would require the three-fourths vote of both houses that had eluded Clinton. Nelson acceded and said he would abandon the petition drive if the legislature passed the bill.

A few legislators wanted to look at the bill before the session but were told that it was being touched up in downtown law offices. Beebe wanted a quick session and the bill was introduced on Monday and enacted on Wednesday, the shortest period allowed by the Constitution for enacting a law.

When the bill surfaced the first day of the session, it was a little more complicated than the explanations. The tax rate was to be 5 percent of the market price, minus the cost of dehydrating, treating, compressing and delivering the gas to the hub, but producers would not have to pay that tax on “high-cost” wells (all of those in the shale play) for three years so that they could recover the cost of drilling the wells and operating them. The tax rate would be 1.5 percent of market price for that period and even longer if a company said its drilling costs still had not been recovered after three years. The gas from new “discovery” wells also is taxed at 1.5 percent for two years.

For “marginal” gas, the tax rate is even lower: 1.25 percent of the market price after deducting the costs of treating and distributing the gas. Marginal gas is from a well that produces no more than 100,000 cubic feet a day in shale plays and 250,000 cubic feet a day in conventional vertical wells like those in South Arkansas and the Arkoma Basin of west Arkansas. (There are a few wells in South Arkansas that lie in the Haynesville shale play of Louisiana and Texas.)

Shale wells generally produce far more

gas, at least in the first couple of years, than conventional wells, often more than 100 million cubic feet a month in the first year. A high-volume well may recoup the producer’s investment in a matter of months, but the low tax rate will remain in effect for three years.

Production usually declines sharply over a well’s first two years. A well that begins producing 106,000 mcf a month may be producing only 56,000 mcf a year later. When the 5 percent tax finally kicks in after three years, the volume of the state’s tax receipts is usually pretty low. Before long, a well may slip below 3 million cubic feet a month and become marginal, in which case the tax drops to 1.25 percent. Most conventional gas wells are categorized as marginal.

The legislature could have raised the severance tax to a flat 2.6 percent of wellhead value and passed it with a simple majority of both houses, 51 votes in the House and 18 in the Senate, although it was never considered. It would not have required the deal making with production companies and lawmakers to reach the three-fourths majority needed to raise the rate to 5 percent, which did exceed the 1934 levy. And the flat 2.6 percent rate would produce far more revenue for the state than the 5-percent-law because it would not excuse most wells from the 2.6 percent tax.

The General Assembly this winter could amend the law to raise the tax on marginal gas from 1.5 and 1.25 percent to 2.6 percent by a simple majority of both houses, which would increase the severance revenues for the highways by half or more. The lawyers who drafted the 2008 bill anticipated such a prospect and inserted a provision saying that it would require a three-fourths vote to raise the tax on any category of gas. But it would have no effect. The legislature cannot change the Constitution by adopting a simple statute that says the Constitution doesn’t mean what it says.

But it would take an earnest effort by Mike Beebe to get those 51 and 18 votes, and then he probably couldn’t in the new legislature.

When Beebe told highway backers that the severance tax would produce far more than $100 million a year after that initial year, gas had been marketed at more than $11 an mcf.

But when he spoke, prices were already beginning to tumble as the national recession deepened in the last half of 2008.

Commercial and industrial usage slackened. Adding to the price squeeze was the roaring production from new shale fields.

Despite widening alarm over the environmental destruction from hydraulic fractur-

BRIAN CHILSON

What if?

3/10ths 2.6 % 5 % 7 % of 1 cent of value of value of value per 1,000 (1947 law) (Texas law)

cu. feet $16.1 million $545.9 million $1 billion $1.4 billion The legislature in 1947 virtually eliminated the severance tax on natural gas, lowering it from 2.6 percent of the market value of gas to 3/20ths of a penny per thousand cubic feet and then to 3/10ths. This chart shows the revenue that the state received over the period of 1976 through 2008 at the 3/10ths of a penny rate, what it would have received over that period if the tax rate had not been changed in 1947, what it would have received if the tax rate had been at a flat rate of 5 percent of the market price, the face amount of the tax law passed by the legislature two years ago, and what it would have received if the tax rate had been 7 percent, which is the Texas severance tax and Sheffield Nelson’s proposal in 2008. ing, the process that penetrates shale to the gas, production was nearly doubling owing to exploration in the vast Marcellus shale play in the Appalachians and shale plays in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas and in the Rocky Mountain states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

Gas prices averaged $9.12 per mcf in 2008, but fell in 2009 to an average of $4.06 an mcf at the Henry Hub in Louisiana, the pricing point for natural gas contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange. But the lower prices also made gas a far better value for electricity generation. Natural gas became cheaper than coal for many generators, and the demand by utilities partially offset the slack in commercial and industrial demand. Natural gas fired the generators for almost a fourth of the electricity produced in 2009.

So while a few production companies scaled back their budgets for shale

exploration, drilling kept apace in 2009 and again in 2010 although prices often slumped even farther. Southwestern Energy Co. of Houston, Texas, which has an interest in 2,300 of the 7,400 gas wells producing in Arkansas, had an investment budget of $1.6 billion this year, most of it in Arkansas.

Gas production has continued to climb sharply even after prices fell off the cliff.

Partly, it is because companies need to lock in the terms of mineral leases they signed in the boom days of 2006-2008, but production also remains highly profitable. In the first three months after the severance tax took effect in January 2009, gas production in Arkansas totaled 148 billion cubic feet. In the second quarter of this year it had climbed to 227 billion.

But the public’s recovery from the vanishing resource was flat, and it isn’t likely to improve.

There s a reason they re called PUBLIC charter schools.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to public charter schools. Since the level of education received by students often rivals that of private schools, it’s believed that public charter schools cost money to attend. But the reality is that public charter schools get the majority of their money the same way traditional public schools do – through state and local funding. So students do not have to pay to attend.

speak up for schools BETTER SCHOOLS FOR A BETTER ARKANSAS

IT’S TIME TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS. LEARN MORE AT SPEAKUPARKANSAS.COM. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 13

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Editorial n Sen. Mark Pryor learns quickly and wrongly. Because Arkansas just elected an extreme conservative to join Pryor, the senior senator has decided to go mean himself. This is probably bad politics — surely no one thinks Arkansas needs two John Boozmans — and it is certainly bad service to Pryor’s constituents, or “sacred cows” as he’s taken to calling them.

In a speech to the Little Rock Rotary Club, Pryor said that the government was giving too much help to needy Americans and should be cutting spending instead.

“We have to take a hard look at entitlement programs, including the sacred cows of Medicare and Social Security, and admit that we cannot bring our spending into balance,” he said. “There is no easy way out. Everything must be on the table.”

Everything, that is, except tax increases, which are one way to reduce deficits but which were forcefully absent from Pryor’s speech. A slight tax increase on high earnings would easily eliminate any Social Security deficit, while maintaining the slender lifeline that Social Security provides for the needy elderly. And most elderly are needy.

“Reformers” like Pryor — eager to have at the old, the poor and the sick — are egged on by the deceptively named National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, appointed

by President Obama in a serious lapse of judgment. The cochairs of the commission are the far-right Alan Simpson and the not-quite-so-far right Erskine Bowles. Liberals and moderates were shut out of leadership positions, so it’s unsurprising that the commission’s deficit-reduction plan relies on cuts in public services to pay for two-thirds of its proposed reduction, and on increased revenues (tax increases or elimination of tax loopholes) for only one-third of the reduction. Who are the sacred cows here?

Contrary to the propaganda of the Chamber of Commerce and the delusions of the Tea Party, the USA is not a high-tax country, but one of the least-taxed among developed nations.

In 2008, total federal, state and local taxes in the United States were 26.2 percent of gross domestic product. Of 28 nations belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation, only Turkey (23.5 percent) and Mexico (20.4 percent) had lower taxes. Most of the countries had much higher taxes than the U.S. They take seriously the protection of their citizens from hunger and disease. Tax breaks for the rich they don’t consider sacred. n Although an Arkansas Times representative didn’t see a picture of Abraham Lincoln on a recent visit to Republican State Headquarters — ­ and reported the apparent omission last month — a headquarters spokesman insists Lincoln’s picture is there. Possibly Loy Mauch was standing in front of it.

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BRIAN CHILSON

Whose ox is being sacred?

SNOWBALL FIGHT!: A Sunday snowstorm blanketed much of Arkansas and provided families an opportunity for recreation, but the snow made driving conditions treacherous on many of the state’s roads.

Give to the Rep n A confession: I plunked down $5 last week when the Megamillions lottery exceeded $300 million.

Turns out I was following a well-established national pattern. The research shows higher income families don’t spend much on the lottery, but will play when the megajackpots pop up. Playing the scratchoffs for the occasional $20 thrill just doesn’t hold much appeal for me. But $300 million? I easily got $10 worth of daydreaming out of my sucker investment.

My daydreaming always starts with the idea – so easy in abstract – that I’d tithe from my winnings, contributing 10 percent off the top to favorite charities. My church, KUAR, the Arkansas ACLU and a new nonprofit aimed at using the courts to challenge unconstitutional Arkansas laws are all on my list of beneficiaries.

But at the top, consistently, is the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. It’s an instinctive feeling. Nothing else in the community gives me so much enjoyment at the same time that it enriches the broader community. It’s not just the “Lion Kings” and other popular stuff that pleases me. In fact, the recent “A Christmas Story,” maybe the Rep’s best-sellers, didn’t do much for me.

But I’ve cried, laughed and hummed along to the likes of “Angels in America,” “Greater Tuna” and “Les Miserables” and many more. I’ve also been entertained by original works, student projects, small-stage productions and some real think pieces. A multi-media depiction of life in the coal mines, August Wilson’s “Fences” and a retelling of the Little Rock desegregation story stand out in my memory. I never thought I liked dance much until I saw some of the stomping-good numbers worked up for the Rep’s Broadway-quality musicals. “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” anyone?

We have a treasure in the Rep and its director, Robert Hupp. If I’d won the Megamillions, I’d have given them a million bucks this year. They’ll have

Max Brantley max@arktimes.com

to make do with my usual modest pledge, but I’ve tried to add a little bit because time is running out on a critical fund-raising challenge.

The Rep can receive $600,000 from the Kresge Foundation if local contributors match that amount.

The theater needs $200,000 more by Jan. 31 to finish the job. This doesn’t sound like much, but remember that supporters have already given more than $5.2 million since 2007 for a phased renovation that will be completed with lobby work, an improved main theater and new seats all around.

This hasn’t been an extravagant campaign to provide fancy bells and whistles and plush skyboxes. It’s nuts and bolts stuff. A leaky roof was replaced, as well as inefficient heat and air systems.

Exterior walls were repaired, along with dressing room ceilings. A new subfloor was built for the improved shop area, where the Rep’s great stage sets are crafted.

There’s a new freight elevator that now connects with dressing rooms. The passenger elevator was improved and so was the fire alarm system. Other work includes renovation of an apartment building nearby to house actors.

The building was last renovated in 1989, when it was converted from a department store. It’s worn.

A big plan for a major foundation grant for a new theater fell through, but the Rep hasn’t missed a curtain, delighting and challenging thousands. In a city that sometimes struggles to provide big-city amenities, the Rep is a center of excellence, a place to show off to visitors.

Another $200,000? I think the community can do it. And should. It’s a bargain.

BRIAN CHILSON

Demonizing policy n The second impulse, after horror, at the assassinations in Arizona had to be, in most places, “Thank goodness it was out there and not here.”

It could have been, you know. There is a reason that the president of the United States has not set foot in much of the South, either when he was campaigning or last year when he and his Cabinet were stumping the country promoting economic stimulus projects and health-insurance reform. It had nothing to do with blue states and red states.

I remember the relief in November 1963 that it was Dallas that incurred the everlasting infamy of a presidential assassination and not Arkansas, where the president had been the previous month to dedicate a dam on the Little Red River, and the shame when it was reported that children in Arkansas classrooms had cheered when they were told that John F. Kennedy had been shot. Unlike Barack Obama, Kennedy had actually stuck a toe across the state line into Arkansas during the 1960 campaign (and

Ernest Dumas Quieter, sweeter disagreements over public policy are not the answer, although a little less lying would help. carried the state, too) though many believed that the Kennedys were the sinister agents of Rome and socialists to boot.

It may have been more than coincidence that the sick young man who fired 31 shots at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her aides, a Republican federal judge and a dozen constituents, was at an Arizona supermarket and not somewhere across the Southern

A highway tax increase? Seriously? n Old ideas die hard in a static culture.

That is surely why House Speakerdesignate Robert Moore of Arkansas City, a noble good ol’ boy with a rich family history in the state’s rural-dominated political culture, continues to talk about a highway tax program for this legislative session now upon us.

The tired political thinking to which I refer is that we can attract economic development to rural Arkansas with shiny new highways.

This theory is that you can take two towns tragically beset with decayed economies and untrained and undereducated work forces, and, if only you will build a good road between them, both communities will inevitably flourish.

We have thought this kind of thing for so long, and spent so much money not to follow traffic patterns but to oblige the political influence of our rural culture, that we surely would have reaped our bonanza by now if the thinking was even remotely credible.

Quite to the contrary, though: The state’s economy exploded over these recent decades in one compacted space, a small and remote place, that being the extreme Northwest corner. And it had

John Brummett jbrummett@arkansasnews.com

It is true that our highwayuser revenues sources are declining. But we should not take that to mean that we simply need to hit motorists for higher rates.

the worst roads.

The first economic explosion of this region occurred at a time when the main way to get there from Little Rock was to leave the interstate highway at Alma to venture north over a steep, curvaceous, two-lane mountain pass decorated with an entry sign warning you of how many motorists had been killed along the roadway lately. Every few miles you came upon an inclined sand pit for the runaway big rig bearing down hard on you from behind.

GIFFORDS: Her shooting could’ve happened in the South. region or even the working burbs of Pennsylvania, where murderous taunts were heard in the 2008 campaign. After all, there are not many places in America besides Arizona quite yet where a young man could buy a semi-automatic Glock pistol without a check and then freely and even with official blessings tote it to a political event in a shopping mall. We were headed there in Arkansas but, one hopes, not now.

In this remote mountain corner with substandard and dangerous roads, a national trucking giant sprang up.

You need local initiative, local investment, local know-how and a thriving institution of higher learning. And you need luck. You can build the shiny new road after there are enough drivers to demand it.

This is not unlike school consolidation. Spending on unused roads between unpopulated places is about as cost-efficient as spending on tiny high schools without sufficient numbers of students to put on a physics class. And trying to change this habit is equally perilous as a political undertaking.

As always, our constitutionally independent Highway Commission, when not defending its abundance of state cars for office workers, pleads for a tax program to increase the cash flow to the status quo.

Spend more, not smarter — that is the mantra.

Gov. Mike Beebe, more practical than most, is passive on the notion. But speaker-designate Moore told a press gathering last week that he is interested in seeing what he might be able to fashion in the way of this much-needed highway tax program.

Most of the reaction to Moore’s pronouncement has been negative, but only in a political context. That is to say people have declared that the will for any tax increase simply does not exist amid this nascent tea party madness.

But the demonizing and “eliminationist” rhetoric, as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman calls it, that makes the unhinged imagine that killing a public official is a brave and patriotic deed is not endemic only to the tombstone state. It is everywhere, on cable news and Facebook, in your e-mails and newspaper letters and occasionally it rings from the halls of Congress.

It is not bitter partisanship, heated debate or even popular anger, which are robust features of democracy. Quieter, sweeter disagreements over public policy are not the answer, although a little less lying would help.

What is different about the current climate, though it is not new in our history, is the demonization of policy differences. The other side is not just wrongheaded or even stupid, but evil.

Their ideas are not merely ill-suited for economic prosperity. They are out to bring harm to the country, destroy its institutions and deliver us to alien forces: the communists, Muslims, terrorists, atheists or, as may have been the case with the Arizona crazy, some sort of monetary cartel.

But the negative reaction ought to be substantive as well.

It is true that our highway-user revenues sources are declining. But we should not take that to mean that we simply need to hit motorists for higher rates.

Instead we should consider our highway department’s archaic policies and practices, both in a micro sense for office employee cars and in a macro sense to set a new priority: Spend for highways along routes that get traveled, not on those that someday might.

Moore will be a good House leader and we are fortunate to have his experienced and steady hand amid this volatile turnover. But he needs to look somewhere else, in a direction more visionary and less stale, for his signature issue.

P.S. — A compromise might be to fashion higher highway taxes as part of a bond program that could be referred to the voters.

Alas, you do not pass one of those by telling vast regions of the state that they will not receive benefits. You pass one of those with pretty maps with colored highlights, vivid and evenly distributed, showing people the four-lane highways coming to them.

John Brummett is a columnist and reporter for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. You can read additional Brummett columns in The Times of North Little Rock. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 15

CONGRATULATIONS SEMI-FINALISTS! 10 Horse Johnson Androids of Ex-Lovers Brown Soul Shoes Catskill Kids Echo Canyon The Evelyns Ezra Lbs Ginsu Wives Hector Faceplant This Holy House Mandy McBryde and the Unholy Ghost Michael Leonard Witham The Pink Drapes Sea Nanners The Smittle Band Tyrannosaurus Chicken Zach Williams and the Reformation The Wicked Good The Yipps Year of the Tiger Semi-finals: Thurs. 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

Finals: Fri. 3/4

ยกREVOLUTION!

2010 WINNER BROTHER ANDY AND HIS BIG DAMN MOUTH

arts entertainment

This week in

‘Speech and Debate’ at Weekend Theater

and

PAGE 18

Travis Porter to Clear Channel Metroplex PAGE 19

TO-DO LIST 18

CALENDAR 20

MOVIES 28

DINING 31

Coming culture

What to look forward to in 2011.

BY LINDSEY MILLAR

W

TAKE SHELTER

YOUR HIGHNESS

e closed the books on 2010 with an A to Z rundown of the year in pop culture back in December, so in this first A&E section of the new year, it’s only fitting that we look forward to the most promising Arkansas-tied arts and culture scheduled for 2011.  Little Rock native Jeff Nichols’ new film “Take Shelter” debuts at Sundance at the end of the month. After the critical embrace of Nichols’ debut, “Shotgun Stories,” look for “Take Shelter” to attract a good bit of attention at the festival, particularly with respected indie actor Mike Shannon (“Boardwalk Empire”) once again starring for Nichols.

The film, which centers on a husband and father (Shannon) who can’t decide whether his dreams of an apocalyptic storm are prophetic or the onset of an inherited mental illness, should make it to Little Rock for the Little Rock Film Festival at the latest.  Little Rock-born filmmaker David Gordon Green’s latest action comedy, “Your Highness,” will open nationwide on April 8. If audiences can wrap their heads around the idea of a stoner medieval fantasy comedy — and with a cast that includes Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel here’s betting they will — it’ll likely rake in gobs of box office cash.  Another one likely headed to the Little Rock Film Festival: Rwake front man CT’s long-in-the-making documentary on the Southern metal scene, “Slow Southern Steel,” featuring interviews with Hank III, members of Eyehategod and just about every other Southern metal band around.  Speaking of Rwake, the internationally beloved sludge act has two albums releasing in the first half of the year. On March 1, Relapse re-releases a re-mixed and re-mastered version of the band’s 2002 album, “Hell Is a Door to the Sun,” and later in the spring, likely sometime in May, the label is scheduled to put out the North Little Rock band’s latest, tentatively titled “I’ve Given My Hands to the Devil.”  Later in the year, another of CT’s bands, local supergroup Iron Tongue — now featuring Brother Andy and Bonnie Montgomery — will put out its debut on Neurosis’ Neurot label.  Sometime in the spring, Greers Ferry — the local yacht rock group, featuring members of Big Silver, The Easys and Salty Dogs — plans to debut a full-length. If the rest of the album is as good as lead single “Sea Gulls,” it’ll be the soundtrack to our summer.  More to music to anticipate: the third release from The Big Cats, due early in Continued on page 25 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 17

■ to-dolist

BY JOHN TARPLEY

WEDNESDAY 1/12

MADBALL

7 p.m., Downtown Music Hall. $15

n Now closing in on 23 years as one of the most essential hardcore acts to spring from Alphabet City, Madball, spun directly off from legendary Agnostic Front, have remained a reliable force of the genre, releasing their spin on rap-infused punk at a steady tack since their inception. All this despite a consistently rotating lineup — one that, until recently, included drummer Jay Weinberg, whose famous dad landed him a spot behind the E Street Band skins over summer 2009. Unconcerned with making wild leaps forward, Madball is still harkening back to that point in punk’s puberty where grunge lived next door and tough-guy trenchcoats were required angry kid uniform. The Canadian hardcore crew of Comeback Kid rounds out the bill alongside locals (and Downtown Music steadies) Cruel Hand.

THURSDAY 1/13

REEL BIG FISH 9 p.m., Juanita’s. $15.

n Conceived in the ’60s by Caribbean rhythms and far-traveling AM stations and birthed by Prince Buster and his rood boi buddies in tropical studio shacks, ska grazed to maturity in the fields of 1980s Northern England, shepherded by greats like The Specials and Madness. Exported to America in the ’90s, it was injected with West Coast punk hormones and gobbled up by a hungry public. Since then, the fatted calf of ska has been pecked clean to the bleached bone. As the years went on, bands became more scarce, ideas more stale and dudes by the thousands found out the hard way that wearing checkered bowling shirts with Airwalks gets you nothing more than an express ticket to Celibacy City. What I’m saying is that you’ve gotta hand it to Reel Big Fish. Years after ska became synonymous with irrelevancy, the So-Cal troupe is still in demand from a hungry fanbase. And at risk of losing any rock-crit cred I’ve collected along the years, I’ll own up to my own tuba-sized soft spot for RBF. Their cover of A-Ha’s “Take On Me” can still make me skank if no one’s looking and (gulp!) if you ask me on the right day, “Why Do They Rock So Hard,” their 1998 moment of genre-mashing gold, would be one of my desert island discs. For a band that sung “there’s so many fish in the sea/ they all look like me,” Reel Big Fish may 18 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL: The Weekend Theater kicks off the new year with “Speech and Debate,” a blunt, racy comedy about secrets, school and sex. not spawn little fishies as much as they used to, but they sure as hell out-swam the rest of the pack. The electro goofball duo of Koo Koo Kanga Roo and Fayetteville ska-punkers Six Hung Sprung open.

FRIDAY 1/14

HONKY

8 p.m., Downtown Music Hall. $10.

n Go ahead. Your mom told you not to judge a book by its cover, but chances are your mom never heard of Honky. The Texas trio sounds exactly like you’d expect.

And it’s not a bad thing. Rather, it ain’t no bad thang. They’re the sound of trailer park hedonism, an awesomely pungent hickpunk brew that sounds like flat beer and ditch weed smells. Formed by J.D. Pinkus after the psychedelic shock-rock of his old band, the inimitable Butthole Surfers, fizzled out, Honky has gigged since 1996, crisscrossing the country while remaining a boozy mainstay on their native Austin, Texas, stages. Now with Bobby Ed Landgraf (guitarist for notorious X-rated R&B

geriatric Blowfly) on guitar and Little Rock’s Justin Collins (of Go Fast and the late, great The Looks) on drums, Honky’s still at it, churning out so-stupid-it’s-gottabe-smart tracks like “Walkin’ on Moonshine,” “Love to Smoke Yr Weed” and tons of others that make a great soundtrack for getting spun on Mini Thins and siphoning gas from your mama’s Geo Metro before she gets back from her Skoal run. Honky gets support from a gang of like-minded Little Rockers with throwback punk Outstanding Red Team, psychobilly staples Josh the Devil & the Sinners and the testosterone bomb known to locals as the Tom Sweet Band.

OAKLAWN OPENING WEEKEND 1 p.m., Oaklawn Jockey Club.

n Ever since Duelist won the first race in Oaklawn history 105 years ago, opening weekend at Arkansas’s horse racing mecca has been an institution not only for the state, but for horse-racing fans at large.

Last year, more than 20,000 voices were lost hollering on opening day and almost

four tons of Oaklawn’s famous 50-cent corned beef sandwiches were devoured on Saturday alone. This season, the track offers 32 stakes races and $4.6 million in purses. Of course, that’s just the tip of the betting season. And I don’t really know what it means. Get any deeper and we start talking about maiden allowances and breakages and quinellas and other words that are fun to look at but might as well be Greek to me. And besides, this isn’t Today’s Racing Digest. An expert I’m not, but I can assure you that no matter how plum-licking little you know about the ins and outs of the sport, it’s worth the trek just to get lost in the circus. For all you fellow know-nothings, here’s a tip: The more beer you drink, the prettier the horses get. And that’s good enough for me. The Oaklawn gates open again on Saturday and Monday, Jan. 15 and 17, both at 1 p.m.

‘SPEECH AND DEBATE’ 7:30 p.m., The Weekend Theater. $14-$18

n The Weekend Theater puts 2011 into gear with nothing other than a sly teen

RED DIRT ROOTS ROCKERS: Austin’s celebrated Reckless Kelly returns to Stickyz after a surprise-filled, sold-out show. sex comedy. Playwright Stephen Karam’s celebrated “Speech and Debate” follows three Salem, Ore., teen-agers – a shifty dork, a gay high schooler and a dowdy young lady – as they try to out their high school drama teacher whose appetite for young boys is on par with the town’s neoconservative mayor. But what could turn into another broad, act-by-numbers farce goes crazy with imagined banter between a (gay) teen-aged Abraham Lincoln and Mary Warren, the star litigant of the Salem Witch Trials, not to mention a queer pride twist on Cain and Abel. Gen-Y to the max, with OMG GTFO moments told through IM logs and LOLs carved out of IRL situations, theater doesn’t get much more ultracurrent than this farce.

“Ritalin and Wiggles,” an “I have a crush on you, so let’s do drugs together” song as funny and unexpectedly sweet as it gets.

Last time Reckless Kelly came to town, Stickyz found itself packed to the walls even before half of fellow Red Dirt heroes Cross Canadian Ragweed stormed the stage for a surprise joint encore. If anyone left unimpressed, I certainly didn’t see it; expect another packed house for the boys.

TRAVIS PORTER

10 p.m., Clear Channel Metroplex. $15 adv., $20 d.o.s.

n The bulk of my musical diet consists of rap music. I may be able to quote Rick Ross like theater scholars quote The Bard (but

don’t), but I didn’t realize how exhausting it is to hear about G-6s, Maybachs, Aston Martins and Versace ad nauseum until 19-year-old rapper/producer Tyler the Creator, head of Los Angeles’ soon-tobe-legendary Odd Future crew, growled, “I created O.F. because I felt we’re more talented than 40-year old rappers talkin’ ‘bout Gucci.” It’s clear: Being frivolous is played out. And it looks like if the young underground gets its way, the big ballin’ of the older generation is about to be traded in for simpler pleasures like partying, dancing, boot knockin’ and even, in the case of Travis Porter, the Atlanta-based threepiece, “Waffle House.” They might not be as heady as other up-and-comers, but who wants to think and dance? Travis Porter’s videos have girls-next-door instead of supermodels, hoop-ty jet boats instead of yachts and talk about “feelin’ like,” not having, “a million bucks.” It’s music for house parties, not penthouse pimpin’. And it’s an attitude that’s in demand; Travis Porter spent 2010 exploding in the underground, trailblazing through Twitter, signing to Jive Records and being named one of the five “Hottest Breakthrough MCs of 2010” by MTV. Call it cocky pop-rap for a recession. Sure, my big thesis may crumble, seeing as how the trio’s sitting at No. 15 on the Billboard rap charts with a song called “Make it Rain.” Maybe they’ll upgrade to exotic cars after the checks start rolling in. But a word of advice to the guys: Pay heed to Clipse’s warning in “Mr. Me Too.” Quoth Pusha T, “those crackers weren’t playing fair at Jive.”

SATURDAY 1/15

RECKLESS KELLY

9 p.m., Stickyz. $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

n Let’s face it: Red Dirt country is responsible for a lot of the better country songs to have come out in the last few years, but it gets a bit samey-same at times. At worst, it sounds like the songs are written via Mad Libs: Insert “cigarette,” “dirt road,” “sittin’ here, thinkin’ ‘bout…” at will. At best, it sounds something like Reckless Kelly: energetic, brash, clever and melodic. In 2008, when so many other bands were squeezing the last bit of life out of the same three guitar chords and writing Live Journal-grade lyrics, Reckless Kelly was busy writing “Bulletproof,” a terrific album that could be the most politically outspoken country release since Johnny Cash’s “Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian.” Sure, Bono and Billy Joe Armstrong can make four or five fine livings between the two of them by setting political outrage to music, but lefty provocation isn’t always so welcome in country music circles. (See: Dixie Chicks.) That’s not to say the band is Pete Seeger reincarnated, singularly focused on politics; the guys keep a sense of humor beside their guitars. Take a chance on

■ inbrief

THURSDAY 1/13

n Searcy rock outfit and winner of Alice 107.7’s Battle of the Bands 3 Miles From Providence takes to ASU-Beebe’s Owen Center Theater, 7:30 p.m., $10 general, $5 seniors, free for students and faculty.

D-Mite and Tho’d Studios return to Cornerstone Pub for their regular rap and hip-hop revue, 9 p.m. The Afterthought throws a birthday party jam for local musician Steve Winter, 8 p.m., free. William Blackart and Adam Faucett, two of Arkansas’s great songwriting talents, land in White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. Lark in the Morning bring out all the bells and whistles (and harps, fiddles and dulcimers) to perform their brand of “Ozark Celtic” music at the Laman Library, 7 p.m., free.

FRIDAY 1/14

n Self-appointed “masters of the face-guitar and smack-smack drum” Caspian Hat Dance return to White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. Adema the band, not edema the illness, brings a night of post-grunge shredding and shouting to Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. He’s a Damn Bullet, a Sad Daddy and a banjo plucking machine: Joe Sundell lands in Pizza D’Action for a special solo engagement, 10 p.m.

Smooth crooning, genre-hopping man-about-town Cody Belew belts it out at The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. Matt Joyce, front man for local party band The Gettys, goes solo for the Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. The Mighty Groove Kings get, well, groovy at Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m., $5.

SATURDAY 1/15

UP AND COMERS: Travis Porter’s trajectory from the Decatur, Ga., rap underground to the Billboard rap charts brings the trio to the Clear Channel Metroplex this Saturday, Jan. 15.

n It’s a band that needs no introduction: Lucero hops to it at Maxine’s a week after being added to the 2011 Warped Tour lineup. They’re joined by rowdy local super group Sweet Eagle, 8 p.m., $14 adv., $16 d.o.s. The Arkansas River Blues Society raises money to send its entries to the International Blues Challenge with a night of music from Clover Blues Band at Parrot Beach Cafe, 8 p.m., $5. Town Pump hosts a triple bill of fresh, indie rocking faces when Ezra Lbs., Catskill Kids and Haunted Pontiacs take the stage, 10 p.m. Rock ’n’ roll cover band Tragikly White bring the party to Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $5. On the club front, DJ Ja’Lee bumps speakers at Sway, 8 p.m., $5. At Discovery, radio personality DJ Kramer mans the lobby, Michael Shane and Justin Sane work the disco and reliably awesome local g-force takes to the hip-hop room, 10 p.m., $12. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 19

EVENTS

www.arktimes.com

afterdark

All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

MUSIC

COMEDY

James Johann. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; Jan. 14, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 15, 7, 8, 9 and 11 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma support group. A support group for adult patients, family, and friends coping with blood cancers, cosponsored by the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 5:30 p.m. 4300 W. Markham.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13 MUSIC

3 Miles From Providence. Arkansas State University - Beebe, 7:30 p.m., $5-$10. 1000 W. Iowa St., Beebe. 501-882-3600.

D-Mite and Tho’d Studios Showcase.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

“V.I.P. Thursdays” with DJ Silky Slim. Sway, 8 p.m., $3. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

The Gettys (headliner), Crash Meadows 20 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 MUSIC

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings. com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Justin Moore, David Byrnes. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas. com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Madball, Comeback Kid, Cruel Hand.

Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $13 adv., $15 d.o.s.

211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows. homestead.com.

Taddy Porter, Red Line Chemistry. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $10. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

Active Parenting of Teens Workshop. Led by Denisce Warren, with free copy of “Active Parenting of Teens” by Michael Popkin for all participants. Faulkner County Library, 6:30:30 p.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway.

501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

Celtic Crossroads. Irish music and dance. Tickets $28-$44. Perot Theatre, 7:30 p.m. 321 W. Fourth St., Texarkana. www.trahc.org.

Central Arkansas Genealogical and Historical Society. Tim McNutt, president-elect of the Arkansas Historical Association, will offer a discussion on Liechtensteiner immigrants in Perry County and explore the possible reasons for their emigration in the early 1880’s. Arkansas Studies Institute, 6 p.m.

401 President Clinton Ave. 501-320-5792. www. arstudies.org/.

World Religion Day Celebration. Second annual event to learn more about religions. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

FMX-HILIRATING: Barton Coliseum opens its doors Friday and Saturday, January 14-15, for “Twisted Fusion,” two days of white-knuckle competition between some of the greatest extreme atheletes FMX (“freestyle motorcross”) has to offer, including Kenny Bartram, Chuck Carothers and Andy Jones, who landed the “holy grail” of motorcross stunts by successfully executing a backflip in 2003.

(happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Josh Green. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Lark in the Morning. Laman Library, 7 p.m., free.

2801 Orange St., NLR. 501-758-1720. www.lamanlibrary.org.

Reel Big Fish. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Steve Winter Birthday Jam. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196.

www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG. William Blackart, Adam Faucett and the Tall Grass Buffalo. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/whitewatertavern.

World History, Real Live Tigers. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

COMEDY

James Johann. The Loony Bin, through Jan. 13, 8 p.m.; Jan. 14, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 15, 7, 8, 9 and 11 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

Adema. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Big John Miller. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth, White Glove Test, Adam Faucett and the Tall Grass, Man Against Brian. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 d.o.s. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub. com.

Caspian Hat Dance. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.

2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/ whitewatertavern.

Cody Belew. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

DJ Ja’Lee. Sway, 8 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

The Eoff Brothers (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Ghost Town Blues Band. Midtown Billiards, Jan. 15, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Honky, Outstanding Red Team, Josh the Devil and the Sinners, Tom Sweet Band. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-3761819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Joe Sundell. Pizza D’Action, 10 p.m. 2919 W. Markham St. 501-666-5403.

Lyle Dudley. Capi’s, 8:30 p.m., free. 11525 Cantrell Suite 917. 501-225-9600. www.capisrestaurant.com.

Matt Joyce. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/ stores/littlerock.

Mighty Groove Kings. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, Jan. 14-15, 9 p.m., $5. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-3741782. cstonepub.com.

No Justice, Dry County. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $7. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Real Live Tigers, World History, No Hickeys, KPINPSA. ACAC, 9 p.m., $5. 608 Main St. 501-2442974. acacarkansas.wordpress.com.

Shannon Boshears Band. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m.

2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. Thomas East. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Jan. 14-15, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-3242999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Thread. Thirst n’ Howl, through Jan. 28: 9 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.tnhrocks.com.

Tuxedo Flamethrowers. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

The Ugly Stuff, FHM Trio, Gitson and the Po’Theads. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $6. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

“Zodiac Party: Capricorn Edition” with DJs Exceed, Killer Buddha, Ramon, Dixon, D-Mutiny. Revolution, 9 p.m. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

COMEDY

James Johann. The Loony Bin, Jan. 14, 8 and

UPCOMING EVENTS Concert tickets through Ticketmaster by phone at 975-7575 or online at www.ticketmaster.com unless otherwise noted.

JAN. 21-23: “The Color Purple.” 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m., $22-$52. Robinson Center Music Hall, 7 Statehouse Plaza. 244-8800, celebrityattractions.com.

JAN. 21: Jason Aldean. 7:30 p.m. $28.70-$54.15. Verizon Arena. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com JAN. 22: Randy Newman. 8 p.m., $32-$65.

Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson, Fayetteville.

479-443-5600, waltonartscenter.org.

JAN. 26: No Age. 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

Revolution, 300 President Clinton Ave. 8230090, revroom.com FEB. 9: Kid Rock. 7:30 p.m., $60.20-$102.90.

Verizon Arena. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com FEB. 21: Tapes n’ Tapes. 9 p.m., $12 adv., $14 d.o.s. Stickyz, 107 Commerce St. 3727707, stickyfingerz.com 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 15, 7, 8, 9 and 11 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

2010 Arkansas Preservation Awards. The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in historic preservation practice across the state. Chenal Country Club, 6 p.m., $150. 10 Chenal Club Blvd. 501-8214141.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and Straight Ally Youth and Young Adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

LECTURES

Dr. Paul Farmer. The founder of Partners in Health and subject of the bestselling book “Mountains Beyond Mountains” returns to Little Rock to discuss his ongoing work on health related issues as a result of the 2009 earthquake in Haiti. To reserve seats, call 683-5239 or e-mail kumpurislecture@clintonschool. uasys.edu. Clinton Presidential Center, 6 p.m., free.

1200 President Clinton Avenue. 370-8000. www. clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

SPORTS

Oaklawn Opening Day. Oaklawn, 1 p.m. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www. oaklawn.com.

Stakes Racing at Oaklawn. Oaklawn, Jan. 14-15; Jan. 17; Jan. 22-23. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15 MUSIC

Arkansas River Blues Society Fundraiser with Clover Blues Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 8 p.m., $5.

9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Assembly Line Gods. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $6. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Bigstack. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Brian and Nick. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Chilly Rose Band. Midtown Billiards, Jan. 16, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Chris Henry. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

DJs Kramer (lobby); Michael Shane, Justin Sane (disco); g-force (Hip-Hop). Discovery Nightclub, 10 p.m., $12. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-6644784. www.latenightdisco.com.

DJ Ja’Lee. Sway, 8 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

Ezra Lbs, Catskill Kids, Haunted Pontiacs.

Town Pump, 9:30 p.m., $3. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 501-663-9802.

Jet 420. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.

westendsmokehouse.net.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Katmandu. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

The Living Daylights (headliner), Greg Madden (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Lucero, Sweet Eagle, The Walking Lawsuits.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $14 adv., $16 d.o.s. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Mighty Groove Kings. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m., $5. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Reckless Kelly, Elise Davis. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. This Holy House, Mat Mahar, Belair. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $7. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

Thomas East. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m.

500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Tragikly White. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Travis Porter. Clear Channel Metroplex, 10 p.m.

10800 Col. Glenn Road. 501-217-5113. www. clearchannelmetroplex.com.

Whale Fire, Troubadour, Sea Nanners (formerly Reptar). White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.

2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/ whitewatertavern.

COMEDY

James Johann. The Loony Bin, 7, 8, 9 and 11 p.m.

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas MLK Commission “Day of Service.”

The annual public service day returns to promote the tenets and legacy of Dr. King. For more information, visit arkingdream.org. UALR, 10 a.m. p.m. 2801 S University Ave. 501-569-8977.

WWE “Monday Night Raw.” Verizon Arena, 7:15 p.m., $22.60-$71.90. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com‚Äé.

SPORTS

Stakes Racing at Oaklawn. Oaklawn, Jan. 17; through Jan. 23. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18 MUSIC

Echo Canyon, Michael Leonard Witham. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/whitewatertavern.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m.

314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

PG-13. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Railroad Earth, Vince Herman and Great American Taxi. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $20. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.revroom.com.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19

Stakes Racing at Oaklawn. Oaklawn, through Jan. 15; Jan. 17; through Jan. 23. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16 MUSIC

“S.I.N. Sunday” with EKG, Futuro Boots, Free Micah, Duce. Ernie Biggs, 10 p.m., $8. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Stardust Big Band. Arlington Hotel, Jan. 16, 8 p.m.; Feb. 20, 8 p.m.; March 20, 8 p.m., $8 general, free for students. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

501-623-7771.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Show 2011. Vendor booth, fashion shows, live music and prizes. Statehouse Convention Center, 12:30 p.m., $7 adv., $10 d.o.s. 7 Statehouse Plaza.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration.

Central High School National Historic Site celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. King with a day of activities, crafts and movies for children. For more information, call 374-1957 or visit nps.gov/chsc. Central High School Museum Visitor Center. 2120 Daisy Bates Drive. 501-374-1957. www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm.

SPORTS

Central Arkansas Roller Derby’s Rock-nRenegades vs. Tulsa Derby League. Skate World, 5 p.m., $10. 6512 Mabelvale Cut Off.

MONDAY, JANUARY 17 MUSIC

Jet 420. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Motionless in White. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol. 501-3761819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

FRiDay, JaNuaRy 14 CaSPiaN HaT DaNCE (amSTERDam) SaTuRDay, JaNuaRy 15 WHaLE FiRE REPTaR TRouBaDouR TuESDay, JaNuaRy 18 ECHo CaNyoN NoW SERViNG LuNCH FRiDay’S 11-2Pm myspace.com/whitewatertavern Little Rock’s Down-Home Neighborhood Bar

7th & Thayer • Little Rock • (501) 375-8400

support your community Small Town

DANCE

EVENTS

Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free.

Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Live Music

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings. com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

s cajun’ wharf presents

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14

The Eoff Brothers

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15

The Living Daylights

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20

Typhoid Mary

COMEDY

Scott White. The Loony Bin, Jan. 19-20, 8 p.m.; Jan. 21, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 22, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $6-$9. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER “Room Service.” A penniless producer and his colleagues will stop at nothing to get backing for his play in the stage adaptation of the Marx Brothers and Lucille Ball movie. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Feb. 7: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Every other Wednesday, 11 a.m., $28-$32. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Speech & Debate.” Three teen-age misfits in

Continued on page 22

live music every night Big Swingin’ Deck Parties on Thursdays

cajunswharf.com

mon-sat from 4:30 p.m.

2400 cantrell road • on the arkansas river

375-5351

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 21

BCS BS n The Razorbacks played in their first BCS bowl game in history last week and lost in heartbreaking fashion. Had we won, I still would’ve written an indictment of the BCS this week, so please take only, say, half of this column as my residual bitterness.

For anyone who doesn’t know what the BCS is, don’t feel bad; even hardcore fans generally only know it as a series of letters. It stands for “Bowl Championship Series” and it’s not an entity, but a series of events managed by 11 athletic conferences and Notre Dame. There is no real organization, other than complicity between the commissioners of major college football’s athletic conferences, and even then, the leaders of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 10, and SEC have all the say.

In their new book, “Death to the BCS,” Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, and Jeff Passan give this group a more acerbic title: “The Cartel.” At first, you want to scoff at the hyperbolic tone of these three writers from Yahoo Sports, but once you begin to dig into their facts, it’s hard to disagree with much that they say.

The authors begin by stating that the National College Athletic Association holds national tournaments with great success in 88 different sports. Only in

CALENDAR

Continued from page 21 Salem, Ore., discover they are linked by a sex scandal that could rock their town. But the stakes are raised when one of them sets out to expose the truth. The Weekend Theater, through Jan. 29: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $14. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www. weekendtheater.org.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS NEW EXHIBITS, EVENTS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present”; 37th annual “Toys Designed by Artists,” through Feb. 20; “Delta Exhibition,” annual juried show, through Feb. 20; “Currents in Contemporary Art,” “Masterworks,” “Paul Signac Watercolors and Drawings,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS STUDIES INSTITUTE, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” Main Gallery, through Jan. 28; “2010 Design Awards Exhibition,” Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects exhibit, Mezzanine Gallery, through Jan. 29; “Making Pictures: Three for a Dime,” photography exhibit based on Maxine Payne’s book, through Feb. 19. Open 5-8 p.m. Jan. 14, 2nd Friday Art Night, with entertainment by the Smittle Band and food available from the Little Rock Food Truck on Rock Street. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Mon.-Sat. 320-5791.

CHRIST CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: “Love and Light,” work by Melverue Abraham, Kathryn Aldefer, David Bell, Austin Grimes, Larry Hare, Lauryn Rayburn, Mary Shelton, Brandye Sneade, Elizabeth Weber and Betsy Woodyard, reception 5-8 p.m. Jan. 14, 2nd Friday Art Night. 375-2342.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Haiti: Building Back Better,” 22 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Graham Gordy one sport do they not crown an official champion: Division I-A football. And if you think the BCS system exists because college football fans prefer a random series of bowls to a playoff, we’re reminded that the approval rating for the BCS hovers at 10 percent.

Wetzel, Peter and Passan manage to do what any convincing polemicists do and that’s incite outrage. Their method?

Exposing corruption. In addition to the 12 “Cartel” members, each bowl is run, in the guise of a “non-profit,” by an executive director.

In 2008, the executive director of the Sugar Bowl, for instance, was paid $607,500 in compensation. This doesn’t include the expenditures of $494,177 vaguely labeled “entertainment”; the $455,781 labeled “special appropriations,” or the $260,062 for “other expenses” on their tax returns. If this weren’t egregious enough, add to it in 2008 the Sugar Bowl received $3 million in funding from Louisiana taxpayers’ dollars.

It would be one thing if the universities were sharing in the boondoggle, presidential gifts, artifacts and artwork, including steel drum sculpture by Serge Jolimeau and Michee Ramil Remy, through Feb. 6; “Revolution and Rebellion: Wars, Words and Figures,” two original engravings of the Declaration of Independence produced by Benjamin Owen Tyler in 1818 & William J. Stone in 1823, through May 22; “Historical Figures of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars,” figurines by George Stuart, through May; exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Julie Holt, Susanna Kirk, Fred Nash and Jason Smith, opens with reception 7-10 p.m. Jan. 15, show through March 12. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Pioneers of the Paint: Masters of the 19th Century,” paintings

by Edward Michael Bannister, Charles Ethan Porter, Robert Scott Duncanson and Henry Ossawa Tanner, through Feb. 20; open 5-8 p.m. Jan. 14, 2nd Friday Art Night, with student and professional actors portraying the artists and a vote on best work in show. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Adrienne Cullins: Black Market Kidney Factory,” paintings, through Feb. 6; “All in the Touch,” sculpture by Diana B. Ashley and multi-media by Scinthya Edwards, through Jan. 30; “Model Trains of Bill Albright,” Eclectic Collector show, through March 14. Open 5-8 p.m. Jan. 14, 2nd Friday Art Night, with music by Mare Carmody and Friends.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $2.50 adults, $1.50, $1 children for tours of grounds. 324-9351.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Women Call for Peace: Global Vistas,” work by Emma Amos, Siona Benjamin, Chakaia Booker, Judy Chicago, Linda Freeman, Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, Leila Kubba, Grace Matthews, Faith

but the authors attack this myth as well.

We hear much in the bowl media about the huge “payouts” universities receive, but the authors classify that as a “shell game.” Almost all bowl games require that a school buy a certain number of tickets, therefore, the bowls may be giving the schools millions in a payout for making it to their bowl, but the schools are contractually required to give millions back for tickets that may go unsold, particularly in smaller bowls.

Wetzel, Peter and Passan use the 2009 BCS title game and the Florida Gators as the most abominable example of this. “Between coaches’ bonuses ($960,000), travel costs ($681,000), tickets ($320,000), band and cheerleaders ($190,000), and other expenses, the total to travel across the state to Miami Gardens was $2.42 million. For winning the BCS championship game, Florida made $47,000.”

Proponents of the BCS claim that the bowls are “charitable” events, but upon closer inspection, we learn that the 2007 Sugar Bowl brought in $34.1 million in revenue, including $11.6 million in taxfree profit, yet gave nothing to charities.

That’s right, nothing.

But the reason “Death to the BCS” is so convincing is because it not only attacks the flimsy foundation of the Bowl Championship Series, it proposes an effective alternative. The authors propose a system where the conference champions of the 11 major conferences would

be automatic qualifiers while the remaining five spots would be given to atlarge selections. The first three rounds would be played at the stadiums of the participating teams, ensuring crowds and plenty of money going back to the universities. The games would culminate in a head-to-head match-up to decide a champion between two teams who would play a total of 17 games that season. The entire process could take place in the same amount of time, the weekend before Christmas to the second Monday of January, that the bowl games do now, and the estimates are that the playoff would gross $750 million, as compared to the $220 million the current bowl system pays.

With all the evidence these authors put forward for why the BCS system should not exist, you begin to wonder how and why it still does. The answer, of course, is the same reason corruption exists anywhere and that’s because all the right people are being paid off. From coaches’ bonuses to commissioners’ bonuses to athletic directors’ bonuses, all the pigs are at the trough and the system doesn’t look to change anytime soon.

What else could explain why Mark Cuban could offer to spend $500 million of his own money to arrange a playoff system and he got no takers?

Like Gov. William J. Le Petomane from “Blazing Saddles” said, “We’ve got to protect our phoney-baloney jobs here, gentlemen.”

Ringgold, Aminah Robinson, Betye Saar, Flo Oy Wong, Helen Zughaib, Jan. 18-March 10, Gallery I; “A Spectacle and Nothing Strange,” photographs

by Rebecca Sittler Schrock, Jan. 12-Feb. 13. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m.

Sun. 569-8977. n Benton SALINE COUNTY LIBRARY, 1800 Smithers Drive: Work by students at Dianne Roberts Art Studio and Gallery, through January, Herzfeld Library; reception 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 13. 778-4766. n Conway AETN, 350 S. Donaghey: “2011 Small Works on Paper,” through Jan. 28. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. www.aetn.org.

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, Baum Gallery: “Improvising Intaglio: Jiri Anderle Prints from the Baruch Foundation”; “Habitats: Portraiture by Kat Wilson”; “Earth: Fragile Planet”; “Intersecting the Book: When Artists, Writers and Graphic Designers Create 2D Worlds”; “Axis Mundi: Levittown,” UCA faculty exhibit, all Jan. 13-Feb. 24. 501-450-5793. n Fayetteville UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “Ozark Modern,” furniture designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone, through Feb. 16, Fine Arts Center Gallery.

WALTON ARTS CENTER, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery: “Watermarks,” mixed media installation by Bethany Springer, Jan. 18-April 13, reception 4:307 p.m. Feb. 3 (First Thursday). 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 479-571-2747. n Hot Springs GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Bill Garrison, paintings, through January. 501-3184278.

McDermott, Kyle Boswell and others. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0030.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work

by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0880.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Twice Told Tales,” paintings by Rebecca Thompson, through Jan. 15; also work by Glennray Tutor, William Dunlap, Donald Roller Wilson, Carroll Cloar, Barry Thomas and others. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 664-2787.

J.W. WIGGINS NATIVE AMERICAN ART GALLERY, Sequoyah Center, 500 University Plaza: Nativity scenes by Indians of the Southwest and Mexico, through Jan. 14. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 569-8336 LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Art and jewelry by members of artists’ cooperative. 501-265-0422.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Town Center): Jason Twiggy Lott, William Goodman, Char Demoro, Cathy Burns and others.

10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 225-6257.

RED DOOR GALLERY, 3715 JFK, NLR: Buddy Whitlock, featured artist, also work by Lola Abellan, Mary Allison, Georges Artaud, Theresa Cates, Caroline’s Closet, Kelly Edwards, Jane Hankins, James Hayes, Amy Hill-Imler, Morris Howard, Jim Johnson, Annette Kagy, Capt. Robert Lumpp, Joe Martin, Pat Matthews and others.10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 753-5227.

REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659.

SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work in all media by Elizabeth Weber, Hugo Erlacher, Mary Ann Stafford, Lam Tze Sheung, Catherine Rodgers, Jon Etienne Mourot, John

Continued on page 27

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VISIT ARKANSAS PARKS & TOURISM

www.arkansas.com

KEEP ARKANSAS CLEAN MY MORNING JACKET: One of the highlights of the Wakarusa lineup.

New on Rock Candy n The 2011 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase is ready to kick off its 12th year with one of the best lineups we’ve ever had.

We’re thrilled to announce the 20 semifinalists are, in alphabetical order: 10 Horse Johnson Androids of Ex-Lovers Brown Soul Shoes Catskill Kids Echo Canyon The Evelyns Ezra Lbs Ginsu Wives Hector Faceplant This Holy House Mandy McBryde and the Unholy Ghosts Michael Leonard Witham The Pink Drapes Sea Nanners The Smittle Band Tyrannosaurus Chicken Zach Williams and the Reformation The Wicked Good The Yipps Year of the Tiger The five semifinal rounds will feature four bands per night and will be held every Thursday from Jan. 27 to Feb. 24 at Stickyz Rock n’ Roll Chicken Shack.

Each week, a panel of judges will choose one band to advance to the final round on Friday, March 3, when the five finalists will face off at Revolution.

The winner gets a hefty load of bragging rights and a place beside recent winners like Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth, Velvet Kente and 607 as well as a hefty assortment of prize packages.

We’ll announce details of the winning prizes next week, along with this year’s judges and the final schedule.

Until then, congratulations to our semifinalists and good luck!

| UNSUBSCRIBE |

n Tired of the dead bird story yet? Apparently the producers of Saturday Night Live aren’t. Andy Samberg made an appearance on Weekend Update last week as Cameron the Blackbird, the lone survivor of the tragic event. He was accompanied by Everett the Fish, a survivor of the subsequent fish kill. Hilarity ensues. n The huge camping and music festival known as Wakarusa returns to Mulberry Mountain in Ozark on June 2-5, with a stellar, 100-plus band lineup that includes My Morning Jacket, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, Thievery Corporation and Mumford & Sons. n Great news for fans of early Johnny Cash — and who isn’t? Columbia/Legacy is set to release “Bootleg, Vol. 2: From Memphis to Hollywood,” a two-disc set of demos, outtakes, rarities, etc., on Feb. 22.

The first disc highlights Cash’s work with Sun Records from late 1954 to late 1957, including 12 demos (11 of which have been unreleased for 50+ years), seven outtakes from the Sun Studios and a Memphis radio broadcast from the Man himself.

Disc two focuses on Cash at Columbia Records from 1958 to 1969, with non-album singles, outtakes and b-sides from his time in Los Angeles. n As it has in years past, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre takes a two-forus, two-for-the-masses approach with its 2011 season.

From The Bard: “Othello” and “As You Like It.” From Aesop and Andrew Lloyd Webber, respectively: “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

The festival runs June 16 through July 2 at Reynolds Performance Hall on the campus of UCA in Conway. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 23

2

nd Friday Art Night

visiting artist performing live

501.374.5100 220 West 6th Street www.lulaveatery.com

at the ASI Galleries

The Food Truck will be back! Plus, four galleries of Arkansas art and live music by The Smittle Band.

The 2nd Friday Of Each Month Jan 14, 5-8 pm

Arkansas Studies Institute (401 President Clinton Ave.), located on the Main Library campus in the River Market District.

Central Arkansas Library System • The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies • www.butlercenter.org/art

new EXHIBITION closing DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 2011 PIONEERS OF THE PAINT: MASTERS OF THE 19TH CENTURY Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872) *Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923) Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)

These venues will be open late. There’s plenty of parking and a free trolley to each of the locations.

Don’t miss it – lots of fun!

Christ Episcopal Church 509 Scott Street | 375-2342 www.christchurchlr.org

Art from The ArtGroup Maumelle All Arkansas Artists

*

Original Works on Paper & Canvas LIVING HISTORY PRESENTATION GRAND FINALE:

Presentation times: 5:45pm and 7:00pm “A day in a life of each painter” portrayed by professional actors and Central High Drama Department

FREE PARKING at 3RD & CUMBERLAND

1001 Wright Ave. Suite C Little Rock, AR 501-372-6822 www.hearnefineart.com

FREE STREET PARKING ALL OVER DOWNTOWN AND BEHIND THE RIVER MARKET (Paid parking available for modest fee.)

Live music by Mare Carmody and Friends

Sponsored by

Visit our galleries, listen to music and shop in the Museum Store.

Complimentary hot cocoa and holiday treats.

521 President Clinton Avenue River Market District • (501) 975-9800

Gypsy Bistro 501.375.3500

Est. 198

A museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage

200 River Market AVE., , Ste. 150 River Market District (OldVermillion Location) dizzysgypsybistro.net

200 E. 3rd St. • 501-324-9351• www.HistoricArkansas.org

Art

Mediums

AR Times artnite Jan 2011.indd 1

Lounge

Featured Artist Theresa Cates

Featured Artist

300 Third Tower • 501-375-3333 coppergrillandgrocery.com

521 Center St. • (501) 374-4495

Ngozi Okechukwu

1/3/2011 2:20:31 PM

n booknotes

New high profile cookbooks and Arkansas history books.

BY LINDSEY MILLAR

n Two Arkansas celebrities perhaps not thought of primarily as chefs released cookbooks late last year. “Seasonal Recipes from the Garden” (Clarkson Potter, hardcover, $32.50) is Arkansas garden guru P. Allen Smith’s first foray into recipes, and it looks good: with tasty looking directions for the likes of Savory Grit Cakes, Aunt Martha’s Corn Pudding, Parmesan Pecan Crisps and a Peach Moon Tart, and plenty of pictures of Allen’s bountiful grounds near Roland. In her second cookbook, “Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart” (Random House, hardcover, $30), Maya Angelou offers recipes, replete with autobiographical detail about how she developed them, designed to be eaten in small portions throughout the day. Dishes like Mixed-Up Tamale Pie, All Day and Night Cornbread and plenty that start as one thing — Crown Roast of Pork, for instance — and become another — like pork tacos and pork fried rice.

Butler Center Books recently released “Open House” (hardcover, $50), a lush coffee table history of the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, with dozens of full color photographs, including quite a few candid family shots. Some highlights: Gov. Bumpers’ son Bill in Halloween dress, Bob Hope hanging with Chelsea Clinton and Captain Kangaroo posing with the mansion kitchen staff. Sadly, no shots from Anna Tucker’s punk rock party on the mansion lawn in 1993.

Butler Center Books also recently published “Arkansas: An Illustrated Atlas” ($19.95), a hardbound geographic reference book for the classroom.

Students of the Central High Crisis will be interested in “Operation ARKANSAS” (Center for Arkansas Studies, UALR, paperback), a monograph by historian Robert W. Coakley, who, as a civilian historian in the Office of the Chief of Military History, covered the 101st Airborne’s

COMING CULTURE Continued from page 17

ANY EMPIRE

the year; the debut solo album from The Boondogs’ Indy Grotto, featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Pete Thomas and Cracker co-founder Davey Faragher, otherwise known as Elvis Costello’s rhythm section, scheduled for a spring release; and, while no release date has been confirmed, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Stones Throw sister label Now-Again will finally put out its compilation of Little Rock’s True Soul Records sometime this year.  Another thing to keep your fingers crossed for: That AMC picks up “The Wreck,” the college football drama that Times columnist Graham Gordy co-created. If the network gives it a green light, it’ll almost certainly debut in the summer or fall.  Mary Steenburgen stars (and sings) in

Books calendar

13 Michael Burlingame (“Abraham Lincoln: A Life,” “The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln”), 6:30 p.m., ML. 18 Cookie’s Book Club discusses “A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail” by Bill Bryson, 7 p.m., TBIB. 24 Josh Gottheimer (“Power in Words: Barack Obama’s Speeches from the State House to the White House”), 6 p.m., CS. 27 Allison Fine (“The Networked Nonprofit”), 12 p.m., CS.

deployment in Little Rock in 1957. Written immediately after the crisis, updated in 1967 and initially published thanks to the

“Outlaw Country,” a new series from FX that involves the Dixie mafia and country music. No debut date yet.  Also on the small screen, ’80s teen-pop divas Tiffany and Debbie Gibson star in the SyFy monster mash “Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid.” Helena native Mary Lambert (Blanche Lincoln’s sister) directs what’s sure to be a camp classic. Look for it on Jan. 29.  I’m sure there’s plenty of Arkansastied literature worth anticipating, but the only announced release that’s come across my radar is “Any Empire,” Nate Powell’s 300-page follow-up to his Eisner-winning “Swallow Me Whole.” Due in July, “Empire” “examines war and violence, and their trickledown effects on middle America,” according to publisher Top Shelf.  Finally, circle your calendars twice: Spike Lee comes to Reynolds Hall at UCA to give a talk on Monday, Feb. 7.

Area bookstores and libraries: CS: Clinton School of Public Service, Sturgis Hall, 1200 President Clinton Ave., 683-5200.

FCL: Faulkner County Library, 1900 Tyler St., Conway, 501-327-7482 ML: Main Library, 100 Rock St., 918-3000 TBIB: That Bookstore in Blytheville, 316 W. Main St., Blytheville, 870-763-3333 WW: WordsWorth Books & Co., 5920 R St., 6639198

Ledbetter Monograph Series at UALR, the book provides a view of the crisis from a military perspective.

MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID

Dr. Steve Perry Founder & Principal, Capitol Preparatory Magnet School (Hartford, CT) and Author, Raggedy Schools

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 7:00 p.m.

M. L. Harris Auditorium

Philander Smith College · www.philander.edu All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information call 501-370-5279. No tickets or RSVPs required. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 12, 2011 25

A boy named

There’s always next year

BY DEREK JENKINS

DOWN IN THE TRENCHES: On “The Vice Guide to Everything.”

MY STRANGE ADDICTION 8 p.m. Wednesdays TLC n We know some folks with quirks that border on addiction: beer, boobies, fried foods, various mind-altering substances and a whole bunch of sexy-time stuff that they probably wouldn’t want mentioned in the newspaper. That said, there’s quirky, and then there’s WEIRD. Addiction is no laughing matter, especially when it goes beyond “want to” into “have to.” That’s the place where something we might normally laugh about can really start to rule a person’s life. Here, in keeping with their ongoing status as the Freak Show Channel, TLC presents “My Strange Addiction,” a show dedicated to recording the sometimes-tortured existence of people with a have-to-have-it need for really, really odd stuff. Recent episodes, for example, have focused on people who are addicted to eating toilet paper, scarfing household scouring cleansers and laundry detergent, thumbsucking (their own, thankfully), speaking only via puppets and sleeping with a running blow dryer.

Yeah, that’s pretty gatdamn strange.

Tune in, and realize that your life really ain’t all that bad — or at least could be a whole bunch weirder.

THE VICE GUIDE TO EVERYTHING 10 p.m. Mondays MTV n Though MTV has long since jettisoned any claim to being a channel that provides anything of value to human beings, we’re still hopeful that it will return to its hip and relevant glory 26 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

days. A good sign that it might be on the way back is the promising new show “The Vice Guide to Everything.”

Sort of a globe-hopping version of The Daily Show, The Vice Guide is based on the always-entertaining webpage www. viceland.com, which features correspondents doing tongue-firmly-in-cheek and enlightening writing on bad behavior all over the globe. If the new MTV version can keep to those standards, they might have something. Upcoming episodes of the TV show feature reporters traveling in Libya, riding along with professional car thieves who boost rides in Israel for Palestinian customers, chillin’ with Latino lowriders in L.A., going on patrol with child soldiers in Yemen, and downing vodka with Russian mobsters.

It’s completely safe adventurism (is that an oxymoron?), but unless you want to risk getting killed and buried in a shallow grave, it’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to action like that.

THE ONION SPORTSDOME 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays Comedy Central n We (heart) Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” around here. Even older than that romance, however, is our love for www. theonion.com, the always-hilarious website that was making up funny news long before anybody thought Jon Stewart was cool. Given that, we’re hoping that Comedy Central will find another hit with their new show “The Onion Sportsdome.” Drawing on the same very funny videos that can be seen at The Onion online, the new show features fake ESPN-style announcers reporting on fake sports stories, most of which (unlike those seen on “The Daily Show”) have not a grain of truth in them.

This writer pretty much doesn’t give a rip about sports, but the “Sportsdome” videos seen at the Comedy Central website had me laughing out loud. That’s a good sign for what might make a very fun stable mate for Stewart and Colbert.

— David Koon

n I haven’t even spoken to my friends.

The worst thing about the lesson I ignored all the teary empty nonsense freshman receiver Julian Horton had to of postgame coverage. I didn’t sign learn in New Orleans is that it may nevinto Twitter for a week. One advaner come in handy again. Always fall on tage of living so far away from home the ball, except in the cases when you is that I can easily avoid the noise, if should pick it up and walk into the end not the memory. One disadvantage is zone to clinch the first BCS victory in that there’s no one who can interpret Razorback history. No biggie. I’ll admit my mood as anything but surly. I guess to feeling that the game was over after that’s what it was. Anyway, the game we retained possession. That a quick was on a loop in my head. score was a foregone conclusion. HorWe’ve all spent at least one fitful ton’s miscue only gathered significance night listing the might-have-beens, after the fact. That is, after Ryan Maland I’m not going to make you conjure lett threw the last interception of his them up all over again. Instead, I’ll say amateur career. that the Hogs weren’t beaten soundly, Of course, Mallet’s going pro. In my and then move on to mention the many weakest moments, I allowed myself to reasons to be proud of our team, includbelieve he might let that interception ing those players who might put more haunt him into returning, but best of than a fair share of blame luck to him. It certainly on their own shoulders. helped this team to have Of course, In the worst game of the most talented quarterJoe Adams’ career, he Mallet’s back in Razorback history caught nine passes for under center, but I don’t going pro. In 120 yards and a touchthink it sealed any deals. my weakest down. Yes, he left some No reason to turn his sepoints on the field. But moments, I nior year into a needling nobody knows how the what-if. Time to find anallowed myself game would have played other hero. to believe he out had he caught that If you spent the BCS might let that first pass. It’s all butterchampionship game wonfly wings and hurricanes dering how the Razorinterception down there. We can, backs could have possihaunt him into however, assume that we bly let Michael Dyer slip returning, but couldn’t do without his through their fingers, then 50 receptions this year, you obviously haven’t best of luck to not to mention his habit been paying attention to him. of big-moment heroism. this Knile Davis fellow, (His habit of jawing at the who rushed for 139 yards opposition? You may not on 26 carries in the Sugar like it, but acts and attitude are someBowl and is probably the individual Ratimes a package deal.) zorback most responsible for our lateWilly Robinson’s defense followed season success and our future chances. their worst half in half a dozen games He’s pretty good, too. with their best half of the year. The ofIn fact, there are a lot of players fense didn’t do them many favors in who have been waiting their turns. that first two quarters, and you have to We’ll likely see all of our senior receivcredit Jim Tressel for bucking the trend ers back on the field, including Greg with some semblance of a novel game Childs. Tyler Wilson will be eager to plan. Halftime adjustments held the get some snaps, but so will Brandon Buckeyes to just 3 points in the second Mitchell. No telling which among half. The coaching seems to be there, our youngsters will step up next year. but while we fielded many good indiGiven Petrino’s knack for uncovering vidual players this season, the Hogs the best in his players, there’s sure to had to expend a lot of effort accounting be one or two new names dominating for weaknesses. Recruiting is the only the box scores. It’s pretty easy to get excited again, if you try. answer to those problems.

CALENDAR

Continued from page 22 STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Fused glass sculpture by Lisabeth Franco, paintings by Joy Schultz, Mike Gaines, MaryAnne Erickson, Stephano and Alexis Silk, jewelry by Joan Courtney and Teresa Smith, sculpture by Scotti Wilborne and Tony Dow. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 563-4218.

TOBI FAIRLEY FINE ART, 5507 Ranch Drive, Suite 103: Jane Booth, large abstract oils. 10 a.m.4 p.m. Tue.-Fri. or by appointment. 868-9882. n Benton DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellot, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK ARTISTS COOPERATIVE, Hwy. 5 at White River Bridge: Paintings, photographs, jewelry, fiber art, wood, ceramics and other crafts.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. calicorocket.org/artists. n Fayetteville FAYETTEVILLE UNDERGROUND, 1 E. Center St.: “Colored Porcelain,” ceramics by Susy Siegele and Mike Haley; “The End of Isolation,” portraits by Adam Campbell; “Oppression, Suppression, Detachment, Growth,” photographic documentation of installation art concerning kudzu by Jan Parker; “Carl Berman,” paintings, presented by his widow Blanche Berman and curated by Hank Kaminski, through January.

Noon-7 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. www. fayettevilleunderground.blogspot.com. n Hot Springs AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 724 Central Ave.: Thomas Kinkade, Jimmy Leach, Jamie Carter, Govinder, Marlene Gremillion, Margaret Kipp and others. 501-624-0550.

ARTCHURCH STUDIO, 301 Whittington Ave.: “More Life Lessons …,” paintings by Nancy Dunaway, through January. Half the proceeds of sales go to Genesis Cancer Center. 501-3186779.

GALLERY 726, 726 Central Ave.: Priscilla Cunningham, paintings, January artist. 501-6247726.

HOT SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER: “Hot Springs: A Journey through History,” photography.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 A Central Ave.: Michael Ashley, pottery, also paintings, sculpture and jewelry. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335.

LINDA PALMER GALLERY, 800-B Central Ave.: Jason Sacran, paintings, through January. 501620-3062.

Continued on page 29

ON EXHIBIT AT UCA: Kat Wilson’s photograph “1411 Towson Ave.” is part of the Fort Smith artist’s “Habitat” series in which she poses her subjects amid arrangements of their possessions. “Habitats: Portraiture by Kat Wilson” is on exhibit in the Baum Gallery of the University of Central Arkansas starting Jan. 13; there’s a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. that day. The exhibit is one of five opening Thursday at Baum.

JANUARY 21-23 • ROBINSON CENTER MUSIC HALL TICKETS (501) 244-8800 • (800) 982-ARTS (2787)

Welcomed By

• Ticketmaster.com • select Walmart locations

In person: Celebrity Attractions • 300 S Spring, Ste 100 • Downtown Little Rock Groups of 10 or more receive a discount, call (501) 492-3314 For Mature Audiences

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 27

Friday, Jan 14 – Thursday, Jan 20

HELP WANTED ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

CELEBRATING OUR 10th YEAR! I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS - R 1:45 4:00 6:45 9:00 Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor

ALL GOOD THINGS - R - 2:00 4:20 7:00 9:15 Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella

BLACK SWAN - R - 2:00 4:20 7:00 9:20 Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel 12-Critics Choice Movie Award Nominations Official Selection Toronto & Venice Film Fest

THE SOCIAL NETWORK - PG13 1:45 4:00 6:45 9:00

Jesse Eiseberg, Rooey Mara, Bryan Barter Satellite Award Nominations

FREE WI-FI IN THE LOBBY

FAIR GAME PG13 - 2:15 7:15

Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Satellite Award Nominations

WHITE MATERIAL NR - 4:15 9:15

Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, William Nadylam Venice Film Fest

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NOW SERVING BEER & WINE EMAIL CINEMA8@CSWNET.COM FOR SPECIAL SHOWS, PRIVATE PARTIES & BUSINESS MEETINGS OR FILM FESTIVALS CALL (501) 223-3529 & LEAVE MESSAGE

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hAve fun.

See reSultS!

PARTNERS IN CRIMEFIGHTING: After the mysterious death of his media magnate father, Los Angeles playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) becomes the crime-fighting vigilante The Green Hornet with a little help from his family’s mysterious chauffeur, Kato (Jay Chou), and their indestructible super-car, The Black Beauty. Quirky auteur Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Be Kind Rewind”) directs.

JAN. 14-16

movielistings All theater listings run Friday to Thursday unless otherwise noted.

Showtimes for Breckenridge were unavailable at press time. Check www.arktimes.com for updates.

Market Street Cinema showtimes at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only.

Northside WomeN’s Boot Camp is the QuiCkest, easiest Way to Jump-start your FitNess program.

A specialized program of fitness instruction, nutritional counseling provided by Certified Class Instructor LoCAtIon: Lakewood nLR, classes at 5:15am and 9:15am M,W,F

NeW WomeNs class at 9:15am call Kaytee Wright 501-607-3100 For more information and the Women’s Boot camp calendar, visit www.northsidefitness.net

Northside A c h i ev e . B e l i ev e . S u cc e e d.

FitNess Call aBout the 2011 speCial!

28 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

NEW MOVIES The Dilemma (PG-13) – The bond between old friends and business partners goes crooked when one catches the other’s wife with a strange man.

Directed by Ron Howard. With Vince Vaughn.

Rave: 10:45, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30l 4:30, 5:30, 7:30, 8:30, 10:30, 11:30.

The Green Hornet (PG-13) – Playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) starts a new career as a crime-fighter with help from his kung-fu expert chauffeur, Kato (Jay Chou). Directed by Michel Gondry. Rave: 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 (2D); 11:00, 11:45, 1:15, 2:00, 2:45, 4:15, 5:00, 5:45, 7:15, 8:00, 8:45, 10:15, 11:00, 11:30.

I Love You Phillip Morris (R) – When an upstanding police officer realizes he’s gay, he leaves his wife, quits his job, becomes a con man, goes to jail and falls in love with a fellow inmate (Ewan McGregor). Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 6:45, 9:00.

White Material (NR) – In the midst of an African civil war, a proper French lady moves to the embattled country in an attempt to salvage endangered coffee plantations. Directed by Claire Denis. With Isabelle Huppert. Market Street: 4:15, 9:15.

RETURNING THIS WEEK All Good Things (R) – A love story and murder mystery based on the most notorious unsolved murder case in New York history. With Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

Black Swan (R) – Darren Aronofksy’s psychological thriller about a twisted friendship between two master dancers in an elite New York City ballet company. With Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. Chenal 9: 11:15, 1:55, 4:35, 7:25, 10:00.

Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:20. Rave: 12:10, 2:50, 5:25, 8:05, 10:40.

Burlesque (PG-13) — A small-town girl from Iowa lands a job waitressing at a struggling Los Angeles burlesque club, and quickly takes the limelight as the revue’s star attraction. With Cher and Christina Aguilera. Movies 10: 12:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:40.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG) — The latest adaptation of the beloved C.S. Lewis fantasy series. Rave: 12:15, 5:40, 10:45.

Country Strong (PG-13) – In the world of country music, a rising star and a burn-out cross paths, both musically and romantically. With Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. Rave: 10:50, 11:20, 1:45, 4:45, 7:45, 10:35.

Despicable Me (PG) — A skittish criminal mastermind hiding in the suburbs plans to steal the moon, if only he can keep three orphaned girls away. Movies 10: 11:45, 2:00, 4:15.

Due Date (R) — A tightly-wound father-to-be is forced to carpool cross-country with a clueless slacker so he can make it to his child’s birth on time.

With Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.

Movies 10: 11:55, 2:20, 4:40, 7:30, 10:05.

Fair Game (PG-13) — Director Doug Liman dives into the Valerie Plame controversy of 2003 in which White House officials outed a CIA agent. Market Street: 2:15, 7:15.

The Fighter (R) — A look at legendary Irish welterweight Mickey Ward (Mark Walberg), his halfbrother and trainer, Dickey (Christian Bale), and their rise out of crime and drugs. Rave: 11:35, 2:40, 5:35, 8:35, 11:25. Riverdale 10: 11:45, 2:15, 4:45, 7:35, 10:10.

For Colored Girls (R) — Tyler Perry adapts Ntozake Shange’s award-winning play about women of color for the big screen. With Janet Jackson. Movies 10: 11:50, 2;45, 5:40, 8:35.

Gulliver’s Travels (PG) – Jack Black and a pack of shameless producers neuter Jonathan Swift’s brilliant, biting satire. It barely even resembles the original story. Couldn’t they have at least changed the name out of respect? Rave: 3:00, 8:25.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (PG-13) — With Voldemort in control over Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, Harry, Ron and Hermione have to race against time to overthrow the evil lord. Rave: 9:15. Riverdale 10: 12:00, 3:20, 6:25, 9:30.

The Heart Specialist (R) – A comedy about the everyday pits and falls of first-year medical residents in a run-down Florida hospital. With Zoe Saldana and Mya. Rave: 10:30, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:45.

The King’s Speech (R) – After being crowned George VI of an England on the verge of turmoil, “Bertie” (Colin Firth) is faced with the challenge of fixing his debilitating speech impediment with help from eccentric Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).

Chenal 9: 11:00, 1:40, 4:20, 7:05, 9:50. Rave: 10:40, 1:50, 4:40, 7:35, 10:25.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (PG) — Soren, a young, orphaned barn owl, joins a band of wise, noble owls to fight would-

be conquerors. Movies 10: 12:05, 2:25, 4:45.

Life as We Know It (PG-13) — Two singles have to learn to work together when they become caregivers to a baby, orphaned after their mutual best friends die in a car accident. Movies 10: 11:30, 4:35, 9:50.

Little Fockers (PG-13) — Five actors, 20 Oscar nominations, six wins, one tired joke beat to death by a screen full of stupid Fockers. With Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro. Chenal 9: 11:20, 1:40, 4:20, 7:35, 10:00. Rave: 11:15, 1:55, 4:35, 7:25, 9:55. Riverdale 10: 11:05, 1:15, 3:30, 5:40, 7:50, 10:10.

Love and Other Drugs (R) — A charming free spirit meets her match in a slick pharmaceutical salesman as their casual trysts turn into a budding relationship. With Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Movies 10: 7:20, 9:55.

Megamind (PG) — A blue, maniacal supervillain turns into a restless mess when his sworn superhero enemy is accidentally killed. Voiced by Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:40, 5:00, 7:25, 9:45 (2D); 11:35, 2:10, 4:30, 6:55, 9:15 (3D).

Morning Glory (PG-13) — An accomplished television journalist has to revive a struggling morning show in spite of its always-bickering divas. With Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams.

Movies 10: 2:05, 7:10.

Red (PG-13) — Three of the CIA’s top agents are jolted out of their peaceful retirements when they’re framed by the agency for murder. With Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. Movies 10: 7:15, 10:00.

Season of the Witch (PG-13) – A band of 14th century knights discover an evil witch’s black magic may be the source of the Black Plague. With Nicholas Cage. Rave: 11:55, 2:20, 4:55, 7:20, 9:50.

Riverdale 10: 11:15, 1:30, 3:45, 6:00, 8:10, 10:15.

Secretariat (PG) — The unlikely story of housewife Penny Chenery (Diane Lane), horse trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) and their legendary Triple Crown-winning racehorse. Riverdale 10: 11:30, 2:10,4:50, 7:25, 10:05.

The Social Network (PG-13) — David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s instant-classic dives into the drama behind Facebook’s controversial rise from a Harvard dorm room experiment to a world-wide ubiquity. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 6:45, 9:00.

Movies 10: 12:50, 3:45, 6:50, 9:35.

Tangled (PG) — Daring bandit Flynn Rider, Princess Rapunzel and Rapunzel’s 70 feet of hair find adventure and romance during their journey through the outside world. Voiced by Mandy Moore. Rave: 10:35 a.m. Riverdale 10:11:00, 1:10, 3:25, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50.

Tron: Legacy (PG) — The reboot of the 1982 classic has Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) entering the virtual gladiator arena to find his lost father (Jeff Bridges). Chenal 9: 4:00, 7:00, 9:45. Rave: 11:05, 2:10, 5:10, 8:10, 11:10. Riverdale 10: 11:10, 1:45, 4:25, 7:10, 10:00.

True Grit (PG-13) — Rugged U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) helps a stubborn girl track down her father’s killer. Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Chenal 9: 11:05, 1:35, 4:05, 7:10, 9:40. Rave: 10:30, 1:10, 2:15, 4:10, 5:15, 7:10, 8:15, 10:00. 11:05. Riverdale 10: 11:35, 2:05, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55.

Unstoppable (PG-13) — Denzel Washington has to stop an unmanned freight train full of explosives and poisonous gas from wiping out a city. Movies 10: 12:00, 2:35, 5:05, 7:45, 10:10.

Yogi Bear (PG) — A devastating 4-hour epic about the decline of a 19th century Hungarian farm cooperative and the interpersonal complications that arise in its wake. Not really: it’s just Yogi Bear.

Chenal 9: 11:35, 1:40. Rave: 11:40, 2:05, 4:25, 6:45. Riverdale 10: 11:20, 1:20, 3:25, 5:35, 7:30, 9:40.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 9457400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 3128900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.

‘COUNTRY STRONG’: Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw star.

■ moviereview Country comeback n We first meet aging star Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow) in rehab. Sprawled on her bed adorned in diamonds and a silk chemise, Kelly is listening with rapt attention to the guitar-playing of aspiring singer/ songwriter orderly, Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund), with his sparkling eyes and

ivory-toothed grin. We’re given two distinct messages here: 1) Something is going on between these two, and 2) Kelly is the type of woman who wears diamonds to a treatment facility.

Now surely you remember “Crazy Heart,” last year’s Oscar-winning Jeff

Bridges vehicle? The one where he’s like Merle Haggard but washed up, lonely and alcoholic? The heroine of “Country Strong” is like — but rich and female — which apparently means a lot more “crazy” than whatever Jeff Bridges’ negligent tippling could muster.

But there’s more here — a subplot, for one, involving a wannabe starlet, the beestung-lipped beauty queen Chiles Stanton (played by Leighton Meester of “Gossip Girl” fame), who is hand-picked by Kelly’s longtime show-husband, James (Tim McGraw), to join her on a Texas-wide comeback tour. Kelly also requests that the order-

CALENDAR

Pancho Villa,” artifacts from soldiers of the period, medals and original sketches of the Mexican Punitive Expedition, the United States retaliatory action in 1916 against the Mexican general who attacked a small border town in New Mexico, through May; “Warrior: Vietnam Portraits by Two Guys from Hall,” photos by Jim Guy Tucker and Bruce Wesson, through April; exhibits on Arkansas’s military history.

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m.

Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “The Fine Art of Jazz,” photographs of Kansas City jazz musicians by Dan White; exhibits on African-Americans in Arkansas, including one on the Ninth Street business district, entrepreneurs, the Mosaic Templars business and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Illusion Confusion,” optical illusions, through March; interactive science exhibits. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Admission: $8 adults, $7 children ages 1-12 and seniors 65 and up, children under 1 free, “Pay What You Can” second Sunday of every month. 396-7050. www.museumofdiscovery. org.

OLD STATE HOUSE, 300 W. Markham St.: “Arkansas/Arkansaw: A State and Its Reputation,” the evolution of the state’s hillbilly image; “Badges, Bandits & Bars: Arkansas Law & Justice,” state’s history of crime and punishment, through March. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS

NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK MUSEUM, Main Street: Displays on Native American cultures, steamboats, the railroad, and local history. www.calicorockmuseum. com. n England TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m.

Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12.

961-9442. n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. MonSat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943. n Morrilton MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES, Petit Jean Mountain: Permanent exhibit of more than 50 cars from 1904-1967 depicting the evolution of the automobile. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days. 501-727-5427. n Rogers ROGERS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, 322 S. 2nd St.: “Buried Dreams: “Coin Harvey and Monte Ne,” photographs; “Rogers Auto-Biography: An Automotive History of Rogers,” through 2011. 479621-1154.

Paltrow impresses in ‘Country Strong.’

Continued from page 27 n Perryville SUDS GALLERY, Courthouse: Paintings by Dottie Morrissey, Alma Gipson, Al Garrett Jr., Phyllis Loftin, Alene Otts, Mauretta Frantz, Raylene Finkbeiner, Kathy Williams and Evelyn Garrett. Noon-6 p.m.

Wed.-Fri, noon-4 p.m. Sat. 501-766-7584. n Springdale ARTS CENTER OF THE OZARKS, 214 S. Main St.: “Life’s Moments,” paintings by Beth Woessner, “Treasures of the Ozarks,” photographs by Roy Horne, both through Jan. 28, reception 6-8 p.m. Jan. 13, McCuistion-Matthews Gallery. 479-751-5441. n Russellville RIVER VALLEY ARTS CENTER, 1001 E. B St.: Marlene Gremillion, watercolors. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Thu., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. 479-968-2452.

MUSEUMS, ONGOING EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, NLR: Tours of the USS Razorback submarine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 371-8320.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “In Search of

ly open for them as well, and James obliges only under the terms that Beau looks after Kelly in her post-rehab frailty. So Kelly’s story becomes loaded down with an allbusiness husband, a chipper female rival and a handsome sex-interest supporter all crammed in.

There are moments of brilliance in the Paltrow/McGraw dynamic. While at times James is as slick as McGraw’s lace-front hairpiece — pulling Kelly out of rehab to tour, making near-lecherous wardrobe demands of Chiles — he has strained feelings for his tormented wife. Their marriage is a role-reversal: it’s the husband who’s become sexually estranged, resentful, and emotionally withdrawn, thrown thanklessly into the role of caretaker for his more-talented, more-charismatic partner. McGraw’s acting feels wholly real, especially when pitted against Paltrow’s nailed portrayal of, let’s face it, a trashy and aging woman relying upon a devoted, but abused, fanbase.

Because Kelly’s crumbling stability and obsession with her fraught marriage are such compelling conflicts in themselves, it feels almost insulting to be subjected to the sexy subplot of Beau and Chiles’ on-tour grade-school flirtation. Why should we be forced to sit through inferior actors fakefalling in love, when there’s a Gwyneth Paltrow lurking around the corner, ready to smash our hearts?

Shot at easily recognizable locations in Nashville, Dallas, and Austin, and including cameos from folks like Marshall Chapman, it’s a gem for the country music fan.

Unfortunately, the movie falls victim to its own melodramatic impulse. When it works, “Country Strong” is a whirlwind tour diary, a heartfelt depiction of a show-business marriage, and a smart indictment of the machine of the country music industry hinged on a damaged but magnetic female character.

— Natalie Elliott n Scott PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $3 adults, $2 ages 6-12. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 501-961-1409.

SCOTT PLANTATION SETTLEMENT: 1840s log cabin, one-room school house, tenant houses, smokehouse and artifacts on plantation life. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 351-0300. www. scottconnections.org. n Springdale SHILOH MUSEUM OF OZARK HISTORY, 118 W. Johnson Ave.: “All Dressed Up,” men’s, women’s and children’s fancy clothing, through January. 479-750-8165.

CALLS FOR ENTRY The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program invites fifth- and seventh-grade students to participate in the 20th annual “Preserve Our Past” contest. Deadline is April 6. Students can enter artwork or an essay based on an Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old. The work should reflect the importance of preservation.

For more information, write Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, 323 Center St., Little Rock 72201, or call 501-324-9786, or e-mail Amandad@arkansasheritage.org. Trophies will be awarded to first, second and third place winners. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 29

GET SMART AND GET ONLINE:

SOCIAL MEDIA IS A VITAL TOOL WE CAN HELP YOU USE IT Forward thinking Arkansas businesses, large and small, are using social media to connect with customers and sell their product or service. Sites like Facebook, Gowalla, Foursquare and YouTube allow local businesses to market themselves on the web. And these powerful marketing sites are free to entrepreneurs who know how to use them. This on-line presence gives local businesses a powerful tool to reach new customers and stay in touch with existing customers.

But it’s not as simple as setting up a Facebook page or starting a Twitter account. Running a successful social media campaign takes time. Lots of it.

Plus it takes a unique combination of marketing, communication and customer service skills. Chances are no one on your staff has the time or the skills to take full advantage of these powerful marketing tools.

That’s where we come in. Arkansas Times Social Media is staffed by experienced professionals who know how to get maximum benefit from these new mediums. They have run social media marketing for other companies and organizations and now their expertise is available to you through Arkansas Times Social Media. And our services are priced to be affordable to Arkansas small businesses.

To find out more, call Kelly Ferguson, director of Arkansas Times Social Media at 501-375-2985 or email her at kellyferguson@arktimes.com.

Don’t waste any more time thinking about whether or not you want to use social media.

You have to.

Let us help you do it.

30 January 13, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES

social media

201 East Markham, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72201

1620 Restaurant SOLD Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Big Whiskey’s American Bar & Grill Capi’s Restaurant SOLD Catfish City & BBQ Grill Cheeburger Cheeburger SOLD Hampton Inn Heights Toy Center Juanita’s Mexican Cafe and Bar Loca Luna Restaurant SOLD Pizza Cafe Red Door Restaurant Smile Bright Teeth Whitening Starving Artist Café Stickyz StoneLinks Golf Course Trio’s Restuarant SOLD

halfoffdepot.com/littlerock

n Restaurants participating in Argenta Restaurant Week are offering special two-course lunches and three-course dinners for $8 and $25, respectively, through Saturday, Jan. 22. They include Argenta Market, Benihana, Cornerstone Pub, Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Reno’s Argenta Cafe, Ristorante Capeo, Riverfront Steakhouse and Starving Artist Cafe.

All participating restaurants will have entry forms for a drawing, to be held at the end of the event, for seven prizes. n Correction: In our Dec. 30 dining review, “Capi’s detours south of the border,” we erred in our listing of the restaurant’s hours. It’s open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Restaurant capsules Every effort is made to keep this listing of some of the state’s more notable restaurants current, but we urge readers to call ahead to check on changes on days of operation, hours and special offerings. What follows, because of space limitations, is a partial listing of restaurants reviewed by our staff. Information herein reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers.

The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by city; Little Rock-area restaurants are divided by food category. Other review symbols are:

B Breakfast

L Lunch

D Dinner

$ Inexpensive (under $8/person)

$$ Moderate ($8-$20/person)

$$$ Expensive (over $20/person)

CC Accepts credit cards

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN ADAMS CATFISH CATERING Catering company with carry-out restaurant in Little Rock and carry-out trailers in Russellville and Perryville. 215 N. Cross St. All CC. $-$$.

501-374-4265. LD Tue.-Sat. ALL AMERICAN WINGS Wings, catfish and soul food sides. 215 W. Capitol Ave. Beer. $-$$. 501-376-4000.

ALLEY OOPS The restaurant at Creekwood Plaza (near the Kanis-Bowman intersection) is a neighborhood feedbag for major medical institutions with the likes of plate lunches, burgers and homemade desserts. Remarkable Chess Pie. 11900 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9400.

LD Mon.-Sat. ATHLETIC CLUB What could be mundane fare gets delightful twists and embellishments here. 11301 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-9000.

LD daily.

B-SIDE The little breakfast place in the former party room of Lilly’s DimSum Then Some turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a must-have dish called “biscuit mountain” and beignets with lemon curd. Top notch cheese grits, too. 11121 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-554-0914. B Wed.-Fri.; BR Sat.-Sun. BAR LOUIE This chain’s first Arkansas outlet features a something-for-everybody menu so broad and varied to be almost schizophrenic. 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 924. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-228-0444. LD daily.

BIG WHISKEY’S AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL A

Continued on page 32

■ dining Philly’s finest Real deal cheese steak, lasagna at Rocky’s in NLR. n Restaurants in cities of any that achieves “best” status. size offer replicas of famous Friends had also touted the cuisine from other regions, usufried ravioli, but we figured ally to the satisfaction of the unthey were off-base. Fried ravioli initiated and the disdain of those is fried ravioli, right? It all goes who’ve had the real deal. Sorry, straight from the freezer, out of Jason’s Deli — your muffaletta the food-service sack and into is tasty, but it’s not in the same the fryer, right? Not at Rocky’s. league as those found in any Our waiter told us the owncorner shop in New Orleans. ers tried the prefab variety and Sorry, Applebee’s, your Philly proclaimed it inferior. So this is cheese steak is an abominahomemade fried ravioli ($5.49), tion, scarcely resembling what the most notable difference (not shockingly) the amount of gooPhiladelphians adore. ey cheese lurking in the crisp It’s just a fact — regional pasta pockets. Yum. cuisine outside the region alWe can also recommend the most never cuts it (think gumbo Rocky’s “Petal” burger, a juicy that’s more like seafood veghalf-pound patty, topped with etable soup). That’s why we A SLICE OF PHILADELPHIA: Rocky’s Pub serves cheese a layer of battered-and-fried aren’t tempted by barbecue in steaks with marinara. onion hunks (“petals”), with New York and why we were cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato bummed when our London and A-1, a really nice touch that separates friends took us to an American restaurant on half heated up nicely for a next-day lunch. this huge burger from others.

King’s Road for burgers.

We’d had just a bite or two of our sandAnd yes, somehow, we ordered dessert But sometimes a culinary miracle hapwich when a waiter walked by with a gar(to go). We’d spotted a huge disposable alupens. Take Rocky’s Pub. Is there anywhere gantuan meatball sub, the entirety of the minum pan with whipped cream covering you’re more unlikely to find a bona fide sandwich covered with a thick blanket of whatever was beneath. Our waiter called cheese steak than inside a small, nondescript melted mozzarella, the meatballs looking it Italian cream cake, but it’s nothing like storefront in a sprawling, nondescript strip like snow-covered hills. We knew we’d be the cake that usually bears that name. This mall in a huge parking lot on JFK in North back. $4.99 choice was a layered dessert, sort of Little Rock?

And what an amazing sandwich it is — like trifle and sort of like tiramisu without But walk through the door, peruse the hand-rolled meatballs on a soft hoagie roll, the mocha flavor. The dreamy treat had menu, listen to the accents of the staff — dusted with parmesan with the homemade creamy chocolate and vanilla pudding bethen, when your food comes, marvel at the sauce ladled on and mozzarella applied. The tween layers of moist cake with a generous holy grail of quality-meets-quantity — and 12-inch ($12.79) weighs nearly 1.5 pounds dose of chocolate chunks and an occasional you might think you are 1,200 miles northand is perfect in its delicious simplicity. piece of pineapple mixed in. The aforemeneast.

Rocky’s sandwiches are served with the tioned whipped cream topping with a drizSandwiches anywhere along the Bostonbest home-made potato chips we’ve had — zle of chocolate syrup and a cherry finished to-Philadelphia corridor are a different breed thicker, crunchier and less greasy than othoff this divine home-made creation.

— large to the point of gross excess, boldly ers.

Rocky’s is truly a treasure for those flavored, cheesy, often served hot and juicy.

These two sandwiches would keep us whose tastes and appetites align with the And there’s also a friendly warmth to diners/ coming to Rocky’s, but by no means are talents and tendencies these Philadelphians pubs/bars in the Northeast, neighborhood they the only attractions. Seven wraps, six have transplanted in their comfy, friendly litspots where regulars gather to eat, drink, entree-size salads, five hoagies, six burgers, tle spot in North Little Rock. Like us. We’re talk sports and escape the cold. Rocky’s has six grilled sandwiches, four other “hot long so glad it’s here. all this, and the vibe of the place makes the roll sandwiches,” three “hot Kaiser rolls” fabulous food taste even better. and 16 (SIXTEEN!) appetizers also tempt.

We came to Rocky’s for the cheese steak And then there are the 11 Italian dinners, after friends’ repeated raves. And it indeed served only 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. As wonderful is near perfect — beef chipped, griddled to as the sandwiches are, these are clearly the 6929 JFK Blvd. slight crispness, liberally piled atop sauteed stars, at least to the owners’ way of thinkNorth Little Rock onions and the cheese of your choice, a laying. They are near the front of the menu and 501-833-1077 ering strategy that ensures a high goo factor. touted with larger, italicized type. Based on Quick bite This cheese steak is served with marinara, the homemade lasagna ($13.49), the special There are enough enticing choices on Rocky’s large menu to inspire at least a dozen trips to try atypical, but our waiter said the owners’ Italbilling is well deserved. new things, but the “Rocky’s True Philly Cheese ian heritage was behind this touch. We got “This is the best lasagna I’ve ever had in Steak” should be the choice for every first-timer. ours on the side. The homemade marinara my life,” our dining mate proclaimed, and It’s the real deal. is light and well dosed with herbs. It’s critishe’s no lasagna neophyte. Again, this dish Hours cal to many Rocky’s menu items, but we’d is highlighted by Rocky’s homemade sauce 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (Kitchen rather not have it on a cheese steak. and liberal use of cheese — in this case closes at 9 p.m.)

A 6-inch cheese steak is $6.99 and is ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Add pasmore than plenty for anyone, but at $11.49, ta and homemade meat sauce, serve a short Other info Credit cards accepted, full bar. the foot-long was our choice, and the second ton of it in a large dish and you have lasagna BRIAN CHILSON

what’scookin’

Rocky’s Pub

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 31

Restaurant capsules Continued from page 31

Union Bistro

neighborhooD eats anD Drinks

Look for Wine Dinners Coming soon!

Live Local Music Monday and Tuesday Nights • No Cover Nightly Food and Drink Specials 3421 Old Cantrell Road Little Rock, Arkansas 72202 • (501) 353-0360

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32 JANUARY 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

modern grill pub in the River Market with all the bells and whistles: 30 flat screen TVs, boneless wings, whiskey on tap. Plus, the usual burgers, steaks, soups and salads. 225 E. Markham. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-324-2449. LD daily.

BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-9500. L Mon.-Fri. BOGIE’S BAR AND GRILL The former Bennigan’s retains a similar theme: a menu filled with burgers, salads and giant desserts, plus a few steak, fish and chicken main courses.

There are big screen TVs for sports fans and lots to drink, more reason to return than the food. 120 W. Pershing Blvd.

NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-812-0019. D daily.

BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-the-griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this family-friendly stop.

1611 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2969535. LD daily. 400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, Beer, All CC. $$. 501-224-0012. LD daily.

CAFE 201 The hotel restaurant in the Crowne Plaza serves up a nice lunch buffet. 201 S. Shackleford Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-223-3000. BLD daily.

CATFISH CITY AND BBQ GRILL Basic fried fish and sides, including green tomato pickles, and now with tasty ribs and sandwiches in beef, pork and sausage. 1817 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7224.

LD Mon.-Sat. CHEERS IN THE HEIGHTS Good burgers and sandwiches, vegetarian offerings and salads at lunch and fish specials, and good steaks in the evening. 2010 N. Van Buren.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-5937. LD Mon.-Sat. 1901 Club Manor Drive. Maumelle. Full bar, All CC. 501-851-6200.

LD daily, BR Sun. CORNERSTONE PUB & GRILL A sandwich, pizza and beer joint in the heart of North Little Rock’s Argenta district.

314 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1782.

CRACKER BARREL Chain-style home-cooking with plenty of variety, consistency and portions. Multiple locations statewide. 3101 Springhill Drive. NLR. 945-9373. BLD. DAVE AND RAY’S DOWNTOWN DINER Breakfast buffet daily featuring biscuits and gravy, home fries, sausage and made-to-order omelets. Lunch buffet with four choices of meats and eight veggies. All-you-can-eat catfish on weekend nights. 824 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol. $. 501-372-8816.

BL daily.

E’S BISTRO Despite the name, think tearoom rather than bistro -- there’s no wine, for one thing, and there is tea. But there’s nothing tearoomy about the portions here. Try the heaping grilled salmon BLT on a buttery croissant. 3812 JFK Boulevard. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-771-6900.

FLIGHT DECK A not-your-typical daily lunch special highlights this spot, which also features inventive sandwiches, salads and a popular burger. Central Flying Service at Adams Field. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-3245. BL Mon.-Sat. GREEN CUISINE Daily specials and a small, solid menu of vegetarian fare. Try the crunchy quinoa salad. 985 West Sixth St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$.

JASON’S DELI A huge selection of sandwiches (wraps, subs, po’ boys and pitas), salads and spuds, as well as red beans and rice and chicken pot pie. Plus a large selection of heart healthy and light dishes. 301 N. Shackleford Road.

Beer, Wine. $-$$. 501-954-8700. BLD daily.

JIMMY JOHN’S GOURMET SANDWICHES Illinoisbased sandwich chain that doesn’t skimp on what’s between the buns. 4120 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-9500. LD daily.

KITCHEN EXPRESS Delicious “meat and three” restaurant offering big servings of homemade soul food. Maybe Little Rock’s best fried chicken. 4600 Asher Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3500. BLD Mon.-Sat., LD Sun. LETTI’S CAKES Soups, sandwiches and salads available at this cake, pie and cupcake bakery. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-771-2837. LD (closes at 6 p.m.) Mon.-Fri. L Sat. LYNN’S CHICAGO FOODS Outpost for Chicago specialties like Vienna hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Plus, other familiar fare -- burgers and fried catfish, chicken nuggets and wings. 6501 Geyer Springs. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-568-2646. LD Mon.-Sat. MADDIE’S If you like your catfish breaded Cajun-style, your grits rich with garlic and cream and your oysters fried up in perfect puffs, this Cajun eatery on Rebsamen Park Road is the place for you. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4040. LD Tue.-Sat. MIMI’S CAFE Breakfast is our meal of choice here at this upscale West Coast chain. Portions are plenty to last you through the afternoon, especially if you get a muffin on the side. Middle-America comfort-style entrees make-up other meals, from pot roast to pasta dishes. 11725 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-3883. BLD daily.

MORNINGSIDE BAGELS Tasty New York-style boiled bagels, made daily. 10848 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-6960. BL daily.

MR. BELL’S SOUL FOOD Rose City soul food spot owned by Leon and Loreta Bell serves typical meat-andtwo options: smothered pork chops, pigs feet, yams, greens.

The desserts are delectable; the dinner menu includes an

all-you-can eat choice (as long as advance payment is made and no doggy bags are expected). 4506 Lynch Drive. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-9000. LD Sun.-Fri. (closes at 6 p.m. Sun. and 7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.).

PHIL’S HAM AND TURKEY PLACE Fine hams, turkeys and other specialty meats served whole, by the pound or in sandwich form. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-2136. LD Mon.-Fri. L Sat. RED MANGO National yogurt and smoothie chain whose appeal lies in adjectives like “all-natural,” “non-fat,” “glutenfree” and “probiotic.” 5621 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-2500. LD daily.

RESTAURANT 1620 Steaks, chops, a broad choice of fresh seafood and meal-sized salads are just a few of the choices on a broad menu at this popular and upscale West Little Rock bistro. It’s a romantic, candlelit room, elegant without being fussy or overly formal. 1620 Market St. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-221-1620. D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. SADDLE CREEK WOODFIRED GRILL Upscale chain dining in Lakewood, with a menu full of appetizers, burgers, chicken, fish and other fare. It’s the smoke-kissed steaks, however, that make it a winner -- even in Little Rock’s beefheavy restaurant market. 2703 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-812-0883.

SAY MCINTOSH RESTAURANT Longtime political activist and restaurateur Robert “Say” McIntosh serves up big plates of soul food, plus burgers, barbecue and his famous sweet potato pie. 2801 W. 7th Street. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-664-6656. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun. SIMPLY NAJIYYAH’S FISHBOAT AND MORE Good catfish and corn fritters. 2900 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-3474.

SLICK’S SANDWICH SHOP & DELI Meat-and-two plate lunches in state office building. 101 E. Capitol Ave. 501-3753420. L Mon.-Fri. SPECTATORS GRILL AND PUB Burgers, soups, salads and other beer food, plus live music on weekends. 1012 W. 34th St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-0990.

SPORTS PAGE Perhaps the largest, juiciest, most flavorful burger in town. Grilled turkey and hot cheese on sourdough gets praise, too. Now with lunch specials. 414 Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-9316. L Mon.-Fri. STARVING ARTIST CAFE All kinds of crepes, served as entrees or as dessert, in this cozy multidimensional eatery with art-packed walls and live demonstrations by artists during meals. The Black Forest ham sandwich is a perennial favorite with the lunch crowd. Dinner menu changes daily, good wine list. “Tales from the South” readings at 7 p.m. Tuesdays; live music precedes the show. 411 N. Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-7976. LD Tue.-Sat. SUFFICIENT GROUNDS Great coffee, good bagels and pastries, and a limited lunch menu. 1401 W. Capitol. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-372-1009. BL Mon.-Fri. TROPICAL SMOOTHIE Besides the 45 different smoothies on the menu, the cafe also serves wraps and sandwiches (many of them spicy), salads and “tortizzas.” Good food, healthy drinks, long line at lunch but it moves fast. 10221 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2242233. BLD daily.

VICTORIAN GARDEN We’ve found the fare quite tasty and somewhat daring and different with its healthy, balanced entrees and crepes. 4801 North Hills Blvd. NLR. $-$$.

501-758-4299. L Tue.-Sat. WHITE WATER TAVERN Excellent, cheap pub food from Little Rock native Nick Castleberry, who’s spent the last 15 years in Seattle earning raves for his affordable, approachable food. With vegetarian options. 2500 W. 7th. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-8400. D Tue., Thu., Fri.

ASIAN BENIHANA - THE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the cooking show, make sure you get a little filet with your meal, and do plenty of dunking in that fabulous ginger sauce.

2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-3748081. L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

CHI’S DIMSUM & BISTRO A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings, plus there’s authentic Hong Kong dim sum available. 6 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2217737. LD daily. 17200 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-8000.

EASTERN FLAMES Maki rolls and half rolls, fresh nigiri and sashimi, katsu, lunch boxes and a nice variety of sake grace the menu at this sushi bar. 7710 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-227-7222. LD Mon.-Sat. FU LIN Quality in the made-to-order entrees is high, as is the quantity. 200 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-225-8989. LD daily.

HUNAN BALCONY The owner of New Fun Ree has combined forces with the Dragon China folks to create a formidable offering with buffet or menu items. 2817 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-8889. LD. HUNAN ORIENTAL CUISINE Old favorites such as orange beef or chicken and Hunan green beans are still prepared with care in very nice surroundings out west. 11600 Pleasant Ridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-223-9966. LD daily.

IGIBON JAPANESE FOOD HOUSE It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. The Bento box with tempura shrimp and California rolls and other delights stand out.

11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-217-8888. LD Mon.-Sat. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI Though answering the need for more hibachis in Little Rock, Kobe

stands taller in its sushi offerings than at the grill. 11401 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2255999. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

P.F. CHANG’S Nuevo Chinese from the Brinker chain. 317 S. Shackleford. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-225-4424.

PANDA GARDEN Large buffet including Chinese favorites, a full on-demand sushi bar, a cold seafood bar, pie case, salad bar and dessert bar. 2604 S. Shackleford Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-8100. LD daily.

PEI WEI Sort of a miniature P.F. Chang’s, but a lot of fun and plenty good with all the Chang favorites we like, such as the crisp honey shrimp, dan dan noodles and pad thai.

205 N. University Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-280-9423.

LD daily.

SUPER KING BUFFET Large buffet with sushi and a Mongolian grill. 4000 Springhill Plaza Court. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-4802. LD daily.

BARBECUE CAPITOL SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL Beef, pork, sausage and chicken, all smoked to melting tenderness and doused with a choice of sauces. The crusty but tender backribs star. Side dishes are top quality. 915 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4227. BL Mon.-Fri. CROSS EYED PIG BBQ COMPANY Traditional barbecue favorites smoked well such as pork ribs, beef brisket and smoked chicken. Miss Mary’s famous potato salad is full of bacon and other goodness. Smoked items such as ham and turkeys available seasonally. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-265-0000. L Mon.-Sat., D Tue.-Fri. 6015 Chenonceau Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-227-7427. LD daily.

SIMS BAR-B-QUE Great spare ribs, sandwiches, beef, half and whole chicken and an addictive vinegar-mustardbrown sugar sauce unique for this part of the country. 2415 Broadway. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-6868. LD Mon.-Sat. 1307 John Barrow Road. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2057.

LD Mon.-Sat. 7601 Geyer Springs Road. Beer, All CC. $$.

501-562-8844. LD Mon.-Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC KHALIL’S PUB Widely varied menu with European, Mexican and American influences. Go for the Bierocks, rolls filled with onions and beef. 110 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-0224. LD daily. BR Sun. THE PANTRY Owner and self-proclaimed “food evangelist” Tomas Bohm does things the right way -- buying local, making almost everything from scratch and focusing on simple preparations of classic dishes. The menu stays relatively true to his Czechoslovakian roots, but there’s plenty of choices to suit all tastes. There’s also a nice happy-hour vibe. 11401 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-353-1875. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. STAR OF INDIA The best Indian restaurant in the region, with a unique buffet at lunch and some fabulous dishes at night (spicy curried dishes, tandoori chicken, lamb and veal, vegetarian). 301 N. Shackleford. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-9900. LD daily.

TAZIKI’S This sole Arkansas location of the chain offers gyros, grilled meats and veggies, hummus and pimento cheese. 8200 Cantrell Rd. All CC. $$. 501-227-8291. LD daily.

ITALIAN DAMGOODE PIES A somewhat different Italian/pizza place, largely because of a spicy garlic white sauce that’s offered as an alternative to the traditional red sauce. Good bread, too. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-664-2239. LD daily. 6706 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 10720 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily.

37 East Center St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

479-444-7437. LD daily.

GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicago-style deepdish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. It takes a little longer to come out of the oven, but it’s worth the wait. 313 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1441.

LD daily. 2915 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Beer, All CC. $$.

501-329-1100. LD daily.

LARRY’S PIZZA The buffet is the way to go — fresh, hot pizza, fully loaded with ingredients, brought hot to your table, all for a low price. Many Central Arkansas locations.

10312 Chicot Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6006.

LD daily. 12911 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-224-8804. LD daily.

LUIGI’S PIZZARIA Excellent thin-crust pizza; whopping, well-spiced calzones; ample hoagies; and pasta with tomatoey, sweet marinara sauce. 8310 Chicot Rd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-562-9863. LD Mon.-Sat. VESUVIO Arguably Little Rock’s best Italian restaurant is in one of the most unlikely places – tucked inside the Best Western Governor’s Inn within a non-descript section of west Little Rock. 1501 Merrill Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-225-0500. D daily.

VILLA ITALIAN RESTAURANT Hearty, inexpensive, classic southern Italian dishes. 12111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-219-2244. LD Mon.-Sat.

MEXICAN CASA MANANA Great guacamole and garlic beans, superlative chips and salsa (red and green) and a broad selection of fresh seafood, plus a deck out back. 6820 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-280-9888. BLD daily 18321 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-8822. BLD

daily 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-327-6637. L Mon.-Sat. CASA MEXICANA Familiar Tex-Mex style items all shine, in ample portions, and the steak-centered dishes are uniformly excellent. 6929 JFK Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-8357876. LD daily.

COZYMEL’S A trendy Dallas-chain cantina with flaming cheese dip, cilantro pesto, mole, lamb and more. 10 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-954-7100.

LD daily.

EL CHICO Hearty, standard Mex served in huge portions.

1315 Breckenridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-2550.

LD daily. 201 Skyline Drive. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-327-6553. LD daily.

LA HACIENDA Creative, fresh-tasting entrees and traditional favorites, all painstakingly prepared in a festive atmosphere. Great taco salad, nachos, and maybe the best fajitas around. 3024 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6610600. LD daily. 200 Highway 65 N. Conway. All CC. $$.

501-327-6077. LD daily.

LA VAQUERA The tacos at this truck are more expensive than most, but they’re still cheap eats. One of the few trucks where you can order a combination plate that comes with rice, beans and lettuce. 4731 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-565-3108. LD Mon.-Sat. LONCHERIA MEXICANA ALICIA The best taco truck in West Little Rock. Located in the Walmart parking lot on Bowman. 620 S. Bowman. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-6121883. L Mon.-Sat. MERCADO SAN JOSE From the outside, it appears to just be another Mexican grocery store. Inside, you’ll find one of Little Rock’s best Mexican bakeries and a restaurant in back serving tortas and tacos for lunch. 7411 Geyer Springs Road.

Beer, All CC. $. (501) 565-4246. BLD daily.

RIVERIA MAYA Typical Mexican fare for the area, though the portions are on the large side. 801 Fair Park. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-663-4800. LD daily.

RIVIERA MAYA Typical Mexican fare for the area, though the portions are on the large side. 801 Fair Park Blvd. Full bar, Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-663-4800. LD daily.

SUPER 7 This Mexican grocery/video store/taqueria has great a daily buffet featuring a changing assortment of real Mexican cooking. Fresh tortillas pressed by hand and grilled, homemade salsas, beans as good as beans get. Plus soup every day. 1415 Barrow Road. Beer, No CC. $. 501-2192373. LD and buffet daily.

TAQUERIA JALISCO SAN JUAN The taco truck for the not-so-adventurous crowd. They claim to serve “original Mexico City tacos,” but it’s their chicken tamales that make it worth a visit. They also have tortas, quesadillas and fajitas.

11200 Markham St. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-541-5533.

LD daily.

TAQUERIA LOURDES This Chevy Step Van serves tacos, tortas, quesadillas and nachos. Colonel Glenn and 36th Street. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-612-2120. LD Mon.-Sat. TAQUERIA SAMANTHA On Friday and Saturday nights, this mobile taqueria parks outside of Jose’s Club Latino in a parking lot on the corner of Third and Broadway. 300 Broadway Ave. No alcohol, No CC. $. D Fri.-Sat. (sporadic hours beyond that).

AROUND ARKANSAS BENTON BROWN’S COUNTRY STORE AND RESTAURANT The multitude of offerings on Brown’s 100-foot-long buffet range from better than adequate to pretty dadgum good.

18718 I-30 North. Benton. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-7785033. BLD daily.

SMOKEY JOE’S BAR-B-QUE A steady supplier of smoked meat for many a moon. 824 Military Road. Benton.

501-315-8333. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun.

CONWAY EL ACAPULCO Tex-Mex served in hefty portions in a colorful atmosphere. 201 Highway 65 N. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-327-8445. LD Mon.-Sun. EL CHICO Tex-Mex and Ark-Mex favorites, a Central Arkansas tradition. Multiple locations statewide. 201 Skyline Drive. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-327-6553. LD daily.

EL HUASTECO Reasonably priced Mexican fare. 720 S. Salem Road. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7641665. LD Mon.-Sun. EL PARIAN Traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites are offered by this Arkansas restaurant chain. 2585 Donaghey.

Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-513-1313. LD Mon.-Sun. FABY’S RESTAURANT Nuevo Mexican and Continental cuisine meet and shake hands at Faby’s. The hand-patted, housemade tortillas are worth the visit alone. 2915 Dave Ward. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-329-5151.

LD Mon.-Sun. THE GREAT AMERICAN GRILL Hotel restaurant. 805 Amity Road. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-3291444. BLD Mon.-Sun. LA HUERTA MEXICAN RESTAURANT Standard Mexican fare with an emphasis on family favorites. 1052 Harrison Street. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7620202. LD Mon.-Fri. MIKE’S PLACE Delicious New Orleans-inspired steaks and seafood, plus wood-fired pizzas, served in a soaring,

beautifully restored building in downtown Conway. 808 Front St. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-269-6493. LD daily.

NEW CHINA OF CONWAY Another buffet in the chain.

2104 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7641888. LD Mon.-Sun. PATTICAKES BAKERY 2106 Robinson Ave. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. (501) 205-1969b.

SLIM CHICKEN’S OF CONWAY Chicken in all shapes and sizes with sauces. 550 Salem Road. Conway. All CC. $$-$$$. 501-450-7546. LD Mon.-Sun. SOMETHING BREWING CAFE Coffee, pastries, sandwiches and such dot the menu of this longtime Conway favorite. 1156 Front St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-327-5517. BLD Mon.-Sun.

EUREKA SPRINGS DEVITO’S You absolutely cannot go wrong with the trout here -- whether it’s the decadent Trout Italiano, the smoky Chargrilled Trout or the cornmeal encrusted Trout Fingers.

DeVito’s housemade marinara is also a winner. 5 Center St. Eureka Springs. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 479-253-6807. D. ERMILIO’S Great mix-and-match pasta and sauces, all done with fresh ingredients and creativity. Warm service in a classy atmosphere. 26 White St. Eureka Springs. 479-2538806. LD. GASKINS’ CABIN Solid American food highlighted by the fish specials and prime rib. Highway 23 North. Eureka Springs. 479-253-5466. D. MYRTIE MAE’S Hearty country breakfasts, sandwiches and Arkansas-style dinner plates. May be the second best fried chicken in the state. 207 W. Van Buren. Eureka Springs.

No alcohol, All CC. $$. 479-253-9768. BLD.

FAYETTEVILLE A TASTE OF THAI Terrific Thai food, from the appetizers to the entrees to the desserts. Only the brave should venture into the “rated 5” hot sauce realm. 31 E. Center St. Fayetteville. All CC. $$-$$$. 479-251-1800. LD Mon.-Sat. ARSAGA’S FAYETTEVILLE COFFEE ROASTERS A locally owned and operated chain of Fayetteville-area coffeeshops featuring hot coffee and chai, sweet pastries, sandwiches and live performances by area musicians. 1852 N. Crossover Road. Fayetteville. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

(479) 527-0690. BLD daily.

DAMGOODE PIES A somewhat different Italian/pizza place, largely because of a spicy garlic white sauce that’s offered as an alternative to the traditional red sauce. Good bread, too. 37 East Center St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 479-444-7437. LD daily.

HERMAN’S RIBHOUSE Filets, not ribs, are the big seller at this classic, friendly, dumpy spot. The barbecue chicken is another winner. 2901 N. College Ave. Fayetteville. 479-4429671.

MARKETPLACE GRILL Appetizers set on fire, Italian chips, funky low-fat dressings, prime rib and pasta in big ceramic bowls, the fare is a combination of old standbys and new-age twists. Also at 3000 Pinnacle Hills in Rogers.

4201 N. Shiloh. Fayetteville. No alcohol. 479-750-5200.

LD 600 Skyline Dr. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-336-0011. LD Daily.

SLIM CHICKEN’S Chicken in all shapes and sizes with sauces. Also locations in Rogers, 3600 W. Walnut Street; and Conway, 550 Salem Road. 2120 N. College Ave. Fayetteville. All CC. $$-$$$. 479- 443-7546. LD 550 Salem Road. Conway. All CC. $$-$$$. 501-450-7546. LD Mon.-Sun.

HOT SPRINGS ARLINGTON HOTEL Massive seafood buffet on Friday nights, breakfast buffet daily, served in the splendor of a grand old hotel. 239 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-6237771. BLD. THE BLEU MONKEY GRILL High end, artfully prepared pastas, salads, sandwiches and appetizers are one of the hallmarks of this classy/casual newcomer to the Hot Springs dining scene. Stay for the interesting dessert menu. 4263 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-520-4800.

LD daily.

CAJUN BOILERS Expertly prepared boiled shrimp, crawfish and such, served in a fun atmosphere. 2806 Albert Pike.

Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-767-5695. D Tue.-Sat. HOT SPRINGS BRAU HAUS All the usual schnitzels are available, an inviting bar awaits as you enter, and the brickwalled place has a lot of history and coziness. 801 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-624-7866. LD. JACK’S PANCAKES-N-STEAKS Read the walls of this recently relocated Hot Springs mainstay and get the gritty stories and memories that make the town come alive.

Burgers and steaks are done well; breakfasts tend to be oversized but half-size portions are available. 1105 Albert Pike. Hot Springs. All CC. $$. (501) 624-5558. BLD daily.

JASON’S BURGERS AND MORE Locals love it for filets, fried shrimp, ribs, catfish, burgers and the like at good prices. 148 Amity Road. Hot Springs. 501-525-0919. LD. LA HACIENDA Authentic Mexican food; array of entrees.

3836 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-525-8203. LD. ON THE BORDER Tasty Tex-Mex at reasonable prices; great margaritas too. 190 Pakis St. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-520-5045. LD daily.

ROD’S PIZZA CELLAR Terrific handmade pizzas highlighted by the Godfather, a whopper. Lunch specials are a steal, especially the buffet. 3350 Central Ave. Hot Springs.

Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-321-2313. LD Tue.-Sun.

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Share the Road

Share the road For Cyclists

Tips for SAFE cycling on the road.

• Bicycles are vehicles on the road, just like cars and motorcycles. Cyclists must obey all traffic laws. Arkansas Uniform Vehicle Code #27-49-111 • Cyclists must signal, ride on the right side of the road and yield to traffic normally.

Code #27-51-301/403 • Bicycles must have a white headlight and a red tail light visible from 500 feet and have a bell or warning device for pedestrians.

Code #27-36-220 • Make eye contact with motorists. Be visible. Be predictable. Head up, think ahead.

• On the Big Dam Bridge... go slow.

Represent!

• As you pass, say “On your left... thank you.”

• On the River Trail... use a safe speed, don’t intimidate or scare others. Watch for dogs and leashes.

Tips for prEVENTiNG iNjury or dEaTh.

For more information...

Bicycles are vehicles on Bicycle Advocacy of Arkansas

www.bacar.org the road, just like cars and League of American Bicyclists motorcycles.

Cyclist should www.bikeleague.org/programs/education Share the Road obey all traffic laws. Arkansas For Cyclists Tips forVehicle SAFE cycling on the road.

Uniform Code #27-49-111

• Bicycles are vehicles on the road, just like cars and motorcycles.

Cyclists must Cyclists should signal, rideobey on all traffic laws. Arkansas Uniform Vehicle Code the right side of the road, and #27-49-111 •yield traffic likeside Cycliststo must signal,normally ride on the right of the road and yield to traffic normally. any other road vehicle.

Code Code #27-51-301/403 •#27-51-301/403 Bicycles must have a white headlight and a red tail light visible from 500 feet and have a bell device for pedestrians.

Giveor 3warning feet of clear space when Code #27-36-220 passing (up to a $1000 fine!)

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Cyclist by law can not ride on Represent!

•the As you pass, say “On left... thank you.” sidewalk in your some areas, • On the River Trail... use a safe speed, don’t some bikes can only handle Share the Road intimidate or scare others.

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Tips for SAFE on the road. potholes, trolley tracks).

Advocacyonofthe Arkansas • BicyclesBicycle are vehicles road, just like www.bacar.org LR Ord.#32-494 cars andLeague motorcycles.

Cyclists must obey of American Bicyclists allwww.bikeleague.org/programs/education traffic laws. Arkansas Uniform Vehicle Code Make eye contact with cyclists. #27-49-111 • Cyclists must signal, ride on the right side Drive predictably. of the road and yield to traffic normally.

Code #27-51-301/403 prevent bikes. and a •Please Bicycles must have aghost white headlight red tail light visible from 500 feet and have a www.ghostbikes.org bell or warning device for pedestrians.

Code #27-36-220 • Makefor information: eye more contact with motorists. Be visible. Be predictable. Head up, think ahead.

Bicycle advocacy of arkansas • On the Big Dam Bridge... go slow.

Represent!www.bacar.org • As you pass, say “On your left... thank you.”

• On the River Trail... use a safe speed, don’t intimidate others. Watch for dogs Leagueorofscare American Bicyclists and leashes.

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www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 13, 2011 33

Food for Thought

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Wednesday: Meatloaf. Thursday: BBQ Plate or Shepherd’s Pie. Friday & Saturday: Fried Catfish.

Capers Restaurant

Indulge in the culinary creations and intimate environment that define Capers Restaurant. Food and wine enthusiasts agree Capers’ sophisticated approach to dining is key to it’s many accolades including receiving the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for six years running.

Copper Grill

Whether you’re looking for a casual dinner, a gourmet experience or the perfect business lunch, Copper Grill is the choice urban restaurant for Little Rock’s food enthusiasts. It’s where you can let go and relax in the comfortable dining room, enjoy a glass of wine at the lively bar or share a spread of appetizers outside on the street-side patio. No matter if you’re on the go or off the clock, Copper Grill is your downtown dining destination.

SO

Contemporary metropolitan bistro meets Southern smalltown hospitality in a neighborhood bar. SO offers the best in fresh seafood and hand-cut rustic meats, complimented by an extensive and diverse wine list, honored with Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Whether casual dinners, special occasions, meetings with clients, or private parties, our service will impress. Reservations six and more. Private Lounge.

Butcher Shop

Tremendous steaks, excellent service, fair prices and a comfortable atmosphere make The Butcher Shop the prime choice for your evening out. In addition to tender and juicy steaks, The Butcher Shop offers fresh fish, pork chop, 24 hour slow roasted Prime Rib, char grilled marinated chicken and fresh pasta. Ideal for private parties, business meetings, and rehearsal dinners. Rooms accommodate up to 50-60 people.

Flying Saucer

“A great place to hangout, experience great beer and authentic German specialties”. The Flying Saucer definitely offers a unique range of domestic and international draft and bottled beers, carrying over 80 beers on draft and 120+ different bottled beers, many which are seasonal.

Accompanying their unique beer line-up is a menu packed with flare. Bratwurst is the house specialty served with German coleslaw, or you can try Brat Con Queso or Beer Brat Nachos. Be sure to leave room for dessert: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout Ice Cream Float offers the best of both worlds.

Buffalo Grill

The crispy off the griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this family friendly stop and will keep you coming back. The casual atmosphere will have everyone feeling right at home. The options are endless for whatever dining mood you are in. Grilled Tuna Steak sandwhich to a loaded foot long hotdog to the crispy chicken tender salad. Buffalo Grill does not disappoint. Fast and friendly staff. Very affordable prices!

Morningside Bagels

Morningside Bagels café is a full service bagel bakery.

We serve breakfast, lox and deli sandwiches on a bagel.

Our fresh cream cheese schmears and Guillermo’s coffee compliments our bagels. We serve espresso drinks hot and iced. Our soups and bagel chips have developed their own following. Come visit with Roxane and David Tackett and enjoy.

10907 N. Rodney Parham Mon-Sat 10:30am-9pm Breakfast 6-10:30am 501-228-7800

BISTRO Lulav

220 West 6th St. 501-374-5100 Breakfast Mon-Fri 6:30 am -10:30 am Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-2pm Dinner Tues-Sat 5-10pm V Lounge til 1am, Thurs-Sat

Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro

200 S. River Market Ave., Suite 150 (501) 375-3500 Tues-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm dizzysgypsybistro.net

Fresh seafood specials every week. Prime aged beef and scrumptious dishes. Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, over 30 wines by the glass and largest vodka selection downtown. Regular and late night happy hour, Wednesday wine flights and Thursday is Ladies Night. Be sure to check out the Bistro Burger during lunch. Jump start your day with bistro breakfast from Lulav featuring scrumptious omlettes, pancakes and more.

For the salad lover, Dizzy’s is an absolute paradise. Its list of eleven “Ridiculously Large Entrée Salads” runs the gamut of what you can do with greens and dressing. For example Zilpphia’s Persian Lime Salad, featuring grilled turkey breast, tomato, cucumber, onion, lime and buffalo mozzarella over romaine. For another: Mary Ann’s Dream, with grilled chicken breast, baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cranberries, mandarin oranges, bourbon pecans and bleu cheese. Don’t that sound good?

chinese Fantastic China 1900 N Grant St Heights 501-663-8999

Hunan Oriental Cuisine

Sunday 11:30 am to 9:30 pm Mon-Thur 11 am to 9:30 pm Fri 11 am to 10:30 pm Sat 11:30 am to 10:30 pm 11610 Pleasant Ridge Drive 501-223-9966

Sharing good things with good friends is the motto at Fantastic China. A Central Arkansas favorite offering the Freshest Chinese Food in town. It’s made to order with 100% Vegetable Oil. The presentation is beautiful, the menu distinctive, and the service perfect. Fantastic China is one of the heights most reliable and satisfying restaurants and a local favorite. Full bar.

Hunan Oriental Cuisine is a Little Rock institution that has been serving great Chinese food for over 24 years. Come dine in a calm, relaxed atmosphere where the food can be enjoyed as it was meant to be enjoyed; fresh right out of the kitchen. Or, if you prefer to order takeout, be prepared to come pick up your food quickly, since most orders are ready in 10 to 15 minutes. Lunch Specials are available everyday. Try something different. You never know what you might come to like.

14502 Cantrell Road 501-868-7600

300 West 3rd Street 501-375-3333

Brunch Sunday 11 am to 4 pm Lunch Mon-Sat 11 am to 4 pm Dinner Mon-Sat 4 pm to close 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1464

Shackleford & Hermitage Rd. (501) 312-2748

323 President Clinton Ave 501-372-8032

mexican Casa Manana Taqueria

400 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-6637 6820 Cantrell Road • 501-280-9888 18321 Cantrell Road • 501-868-8822

Capi’s Nuevo Latino www.capisrestaurant.com

11525 Cantrell Rd, Suite 917 Pleasant Ridge Town Center 501.225.9600

Voted Best Mexican 2007. Featuring authentic fare from the Puebla region of Mexico, the selections seem endless at your choice of 3 locations in the Little Rock area. You will find an array of dishes ranging from the salient Shrimp Veracruzana at La Palapa out west to great Guacamole in the River Market Taqueria. Or try tasty Tostadas that share the name of the original Cantrell location, Casa Manana.

New South of the border comfort food menu with Southwestern and authentic Mexican specialties. Quesos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas and tamales steamed in banana leaves.

Eclectic brunch menu Saturday and Sunday. Creative cocktails, exceptional wine list. Live music Friday nights at 8:30. Serving Tuesday - Sunday 11:00 to close.

Mediterranean Layla’s

9501 N. Rodney Parham 501-227-7272

Enjoy regional specialties such as Lentil soup, a huge serving of yummy Hummus, Baba Ghannnouj or Tabbouleh.

And don’t forget about the Gyros, they’re sure to be heroes in your book!

Brazilian Café Bossa Nova 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd 501-614-6682 Tues-Sat 11am-9pm Sunday Brunch 10:30-2pm

Try something different! Café Bossa Nova serves up cozy atmosphere and unique Brazilian dishes guaranteed to satisfy and served with that special Latin flare. Don’t deny yourself one of the delectable desserts prepared fresh daily or for an A+ apertif, drink in the authentic flavor of the country in the Caipirinha~a perfect blend of lime, sugar and Brazilian sugar cane rum. Dine with them tonight!

brew pub Vino’s Pizza•Pub•Brewery 923 West 7th Street 501/375-VINO (8466)

Beer, pizza and more! Drop in to Vino’s, Little Rock’s Original Brewpub! and enjoy great New York-style pizza (whole or by-the-slice) washed down with your choice of award-winning ales or lagers brewed right on site. Or try a huge calzone, our new Muffaletta sandwich or just a salad and a slice with our homemade root beer. The deck’s always open, you don’t have to dress up and the kids are always welcome (or not).

Vino’s is open 7 days, lunch and dinner. You can call ahead for carry-out and even take a gal. growler of beer to-go. And guess what?? The bathrooms have just been re-done!

34 january 13, 2011 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES

400 N. Bowman Rd 501-224-0012 1611 Rebsamen Park Rd 501-296-9535 11am-9pm 11am-10pm Friday & Saturday

10848 Maumelle Blvd North Little Rock 501-753-6960 Mon-Fri: 6am-2pm Sat & Sun: 7am-2pm www.morningsidebagels.com

steak Sonny Williams

If you have not been to Sonny Williams lately, get there immediately and check out the martini/wine bar. Now you can enjoy 35 wines by the glass, 335 selections of wine, 6 single barrel bourbons and all different kinds of Scotch from the many regions of Scotland. Of course, don’t miss out on the nightly entertainment by Jeff at the piano. Sonny’s is a River Market mainstay and perfect for intimate private parties; free valet parking! As always, Sonny Williams has the best steaks in town along with fresh seafood and game. No Skinny Steaks… Call ahead for reservations (501) 324-2999

Faded Rose

Featuring the Best Steaks in town with a New Orleans flair from a New Orleans native. Also featuring Seafood and Creole Specialties. As Rachel Ray says “This place is one of my best finds ever.” Back by popular demand…Soft Shell Crab and New Orleans Roast Beef Po-Boys.

500 President Clinton Avenue Suite 100 (In the River Market District) 501-324-2999 DINNER MON - SAT 5:00 - 11:00 pm PIANO BAR TUES - THU 7:00 - 11:00 pm FRI & SAT 7:00 - Late

400 N. Bowman 501-224-3377 1619 Rebsamen 501-663-9734 Open Sunday

asian panda Garden

2604 S. Shackleford Road, Suite G 501-224-8100.

Fresh, flavorful, all-you-can-eat sushi. With fresh and authentic Chinese dishes, nice decor, great dessert choices and excellent sushi, Panda Garden raises the bar.

REAL ESTATE b

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J a n u ary 1 2 , 2 0 1 1

Expansive Longlea home is ready for family open Sunday

2 pm - 4 pm

In the heart of Longlea, nestled at the end of a private street, is this stately, expansive and inviting family home at 4811 Sugar Maple. Situated in the neighborhood behind the Little Rock Athletic Club off Sam Peck, this home has quick access to public and private schools in West Little Rock and Chenal, as well as immediate access to Highway 10, I-430 and Chenal Parkway.

Custom built in 1995, this one-owner home has every amenity for any size family.

It has recently been extensively remodeled, is immaculate and move-in ready. With over 4,500 square feet, four bedrooms, three-and-one-half bathrooms, a separate office and separate bonus room, this home will meet the needs of every member of your family. The office can easily function as a fifth bedroom.

On the main level, the comfortable living room with fireplace, offers an entire wall of built-ins and wall-of-windows onto the park-like backyard. The adjoining entry room would be ideal as a formal sitting room, music room, reading room, office and more. The oversized formal dining room is elegant and is accessible from the open foyer and the newly remodeled kitchen. The kitchen remodel is a chef’s dream come true, with a huge adjoining eat-in and hearth area, making cooking, visiting with children and entertaining friends and family a pleasure. Granite countertops, glass tile backsplash, iron sink, new flat cook top and massive island are just the beginning of

The living room is warm and inviting.

The kitchen has been remodeled.

the treasures to be enjoyed in this area. A cozy and light-filled bedroom on this level serves as either an ideal private guest suite or a downstairs master suite. A multifunctional utility room with extensive storage rounds out the rooms on the first floor.

The second floor, accessible from two staircases, is home to a large, welcoming master suite. Every room on this floor is awash in natural light. Two bedrooms on this floor boast built-in desks, walk-in closets and huge windows. The bathroom these two rooms share has two rooms itself, double sinks and storage. A second laundry area is upstairs ready for your full-size washer and dryer. A wonderful bonus room is also on this level. It has a vaulted ceiling, two great closets and lots of natural light.

The grounds of this home are amazing. Professional landscaping in four distinctly functional areas highlight the multi-functional capacity of this gorgeous setting. Enjoy your own private greenbelt while entertaining family and friends, or cheer on the kids with a game of touch football or soccer. The oversized additional parking pad area is ideal for a competitive game of basketball.

This home is listed with Susan Desselle of The Charlotte John Company and is offered for $449,000. An open house is planned for Sunday, Jan. 16, from 2-4 p.m.

Call Susan at 501-772-7100 for more info or to set up a private tour.

Rooms are light-filled.

Professional landscaping makes the grounds gorgeous. www.arktimes.com • january 13, 2011 35

REAL ESTATE by neighborhood TO ADVERTISE, CALL TIFFANY HOLLAND AT 375-2985

Thinking of Buying or Selling?

Interest Rates Are Headed Up Now Is The Time To Make Your Move

Call Susan TODAY to discuss your real estate needs

Susan Desselle

A Charlotte John Company Top Producer Experience ~ Dedication ~ Success

Put Susan to work for you today!

Susan Desselle The Charlotte John Company 5811-B Kavanaugh Blvd Little Rock, AR 72207 501-772-7100 cell

Land

Hillcrest

20 W. MARTIN, GREENBRIER $109,000. 25.21 acres off Brannon Road. Pastureland, borders creek, city water, electric, septic on property. Perfect for horses, cattle and your dream home. MLS# 10269741 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-679-1103 SCRATCH GRAVEL, DAMASCUS - $69,900. Beautiful country view on paved road, level with some hardwood trees and large barn, public water at road. Seven acres total, buy all or part. Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-679-1103

4101 C ST - $224,900. 3BR/2BA, 1836SF. Recently renovated!

Enter MLS# 10255320 on www.

PulaskiHeightsRealty.com for more photos. John Selva, Pulaski Heights Realty, 993-5442

Downtown 5 STATEHOUSE PLAZA - New construction building on the east end of the Doubletree Hotel. Floor-toceiling windows provide exceptional views of river, ballpark and area activities. Enjoy the fireworks and River Market activity from spacious 200+ SF terraces. Only 6 left! Call Susan Desselle with the Charlotte John Company at 772-7100 or visit www. SusanSellingLittleRock.com

712 N. WALNUT - $159,900.

2BR/1BA in the heart of Hillcrest.

Just 1/2 block of Kavanaugh.

Renovated kitchen w/custom maple cabinets, tile floors, solid surface counters. Enter MLS 10257444 at www.PulaskiHeightsRealty.com

Riverdale

4924 HILLCREST AVE - $459,900.

3BR/3BA plus 3-car garage. 2600 SF. Recently renovated home on large corner lot. Call John Selva at Pulaski Heights Realty at 501993-5442.

1 TREETOPS #1104 - $399,000.

Top floor condo. 3BR/3BA, over 1900 SF. Sweeping views of the river and river valley. Luxurious, full service high rise. Susan Desselle, The Charlotte John Company, 7727100

West Little Rock

SusanSellingLittleRock@gmail.com www.SusanSellingLittleRock.com Publisher’s Notice

9204 CYNTHIA - $122,500.

4BR/2BA, 1426 SF. Great twostory home centrally located. New paint, new lighting fixtures & other updates throughout. Large fenced backyard. John Selva, Pulaski Heights Realty, 993-5442

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free 1-800-669-9077. The toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

Arkansas times presents PULASKI COUNTY Real Estate sales over $143,000 Gerald Baxley to Ron Campbell, Roy Marple, NW 31-1S-14W, NE 36-1S-15W, $2,200,000.

Wallace T. Rowland, Sue S. Rowland to Brian McGeorge, Susan McGeorge, 2 Beverly Pl., $1,395,000.

LD Brantley Farms LLC to SS Family Farm LLC, WH NE EH NW 2-3S-10W, SH SW SW SE 35-2S-10W, $775,000.

Judith A. Lemke, W. F. Lemke to David Gulley, Mary Gulley, 18 Chenal Cir., $650,000.

Kevin Case, Angela Case to Clifton W. Hildesheim, Yin Liu, L16, Bella Rosa Estates, $630,000.

Lewis Home Builders Incorporated to Bank Of Ozarks, 74 Vigne Blvd., $625,000.

One Bank to Allan Gocio, Danette Gocio, 1800 S. Arch St., $480,000.

James A. Butenschoen, Janice C. Butenschoen to Michael G. Schneider, 8809 Beck Rd., $455,000.

River Market Tower LLC to Joshua M. Silverstein, 315 S. Rock St., Apt. 1501, $455,000.

Alexander Davie, Melanie Davie to Alexis H. Snead, 30 Ledgelawn Dr., $439,000.

Anthony C. Karklins, Suzanne Karklins to Prabhakara R. Kaliki, 300 E. 3rd St., Unit 1107, $425,000.

Mickey McGuire, Pamela McGuire to Jacob Chi, Valerie L. Chi, 23 Bellegarde Dr., $417,000.

Metropolitan National Bank to Anthony Karklins, Suzanne M. Karklins, 23 Scenic Pt., $395,000.

Daniel L. Cirwinski, Elizabeth A. Cirwinski to Amanda L. Gibson, Jesse J. Gibson, 19 Foxfield Cove, $389,000.

Kroencke Construction Inc. to Mikeal A. Forrest, Angele N. Forrest, 140 Majestic Cir., Maumelle, $384,000.

36 january 13, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Juan B. Firnhaber, Ana Hernandez to Fusheng Tang, Xiaoyan Zhu, 4 Alton Ln., $375,000.

John K. Cryer, Jr., Sandra C. Cryer to Paula A. Thurmond, Paige Thurmond, 2900 Sweetgrass Dr., $364,000.

Ellen J. Ferrari, Ellen J. Morgan, John Ferrari to Garrett D. Childers, Ashley E. Childers, 73 Wellington Colony Dr., $335,000.

PTC Properties LLC to Robert K. Trinkle, Josipa A. Trinkle, L10R B25, Maumelle Valley Estates , $329,000.

Marion V. Gavin to Brian Bean, Tami A. Bean, 516 Ridgeway Dr., $322,000.

Robert C. Matthias, Jr., Alison M. Matthias to Emily Saulters, 2813 Shenandoah Valley Dr., $305,000.

Raymond W. Newman, Lynette Newman to Troy W. Baker, Kimberly D. Baker, 63 Clervaux Dr., $303,000.

Mark A. Cole, Barbara W. Cole to Daniel J. Mack, Deidra K. Mack, 4301 Stoneview Ct., $302,000.

Commissioner In Circuit to Farmers Bank & Trust Company, L102, Overlook Park, $300,000.

Glenda J. Lovett, Glenda L. Langston, Glenda J. Ward, Glenda L. Ward, Glenda Ward to Omar F. Greene, II, Linda S. Greene, 5223 G St., $295,000.

James T. Meister, Carolyn J. Meister to James Meister, Ginger Meister, 2002 Walnut Grove Rd., $280,000.

Rabii Madi, Irina Shishkina to Jennifer L. Carter, Adam P. Carter, 2720 Valley Park Dr., $275,000.

Rayco Properties LLC to Donnie L. Lindsey, Jr., Eleanor L. Lindsey, L42 B1, Gap Creek, $257,000.

River Rock Builders LLC to Esmeralda O. Rodriguez, 16 Isom Creek Cove, $252,000.

Taypac Homes LLC to Satori Y. Barnes,

William J. Barnes, 205 Lucia Ln., NLR, $250,606.

Alley Development Company Protho to Multani LLC, NW SE 32-1N-12W, $250,000.

S&H Parker Construction LLC to Bryan M. Broderick, April L. Broderick, 9624 Mercury Dr., Sherwood, $248,000.

William Lacky, Lori Lacky, William D. Lackey, Jr., Lori L. Lackey to Loretta S. Wallace, Jason M. Wallace, 2 Trent Jones Cove, Sherwood, $245,000.

Christopher E. Smith, Trudy N. Smith to Jacob M. Pasman, Crystal B. Pasman, 4 Beeson Ct., $245,000.

John A. Daniel, Amy C. Daniel to Daniel R. Doerge, Anne P. Doerge, 3 Longwood Rd., $240,000.

James T. Meister, Jr., Ginger S. Meister to Michael Connery, Elizabeth Connery, 14115 Shepard Dr., $245,000.

John Marchand, Lana Marchand to Raymond W. Newman, 1805 Dorado Beach Dr., $239,000.

J o h n B l a n k e n b e k e r, D e n i s e Blankenbeker to Carey Antoon, Erin L. Antoon, L8, Pebble Beach Woods, $238,000.

PS Products Inc. to Makokos LLC, 3117 Joshua St., $225,000.

Keith P. Miller, Peggy W. Miller to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, 7701 Kanis Rd., $224,121.

Virginia Fetzek to B&L Investments Properties LLC, 1020 N. Monroe St., $223,000.

Medlock Construction Co Inc. to Hector L. Rivera, Jr., Yvette Rivera, 9608 Canterra Ln., Sherwood, $223,000.

Sue M. Merritt to JAJ Holdings LLC, L54, Forest Heights Place, $220,000.

Randy Wiggins Company Inc. to Lucian J. Kitta, Joann Kitta, 7940 Austin Gardens Ct., Sherwood, $217,000.

Wilcox Contracting LLC to Matthew A. Nickelson, Rebecca A. Nickelson, 13000 Secretariat Dr., Scott, $214,000.

Alan Dorman, Thao Dorman to Melissa E. Cherry, 139 Orleans Dr., Maumelle, $209,000.

Ben Greenbaum, Jana K. Wood, Jana Greenbaum to Deann Robinson, L910, Longlea, $205,000.

Sherry K. Lambert to Peter N. Petropoulakos, Sundi E. Scott, 6919 Pontiac Dr., NLR, $205,000.

Loretta S. Wallace, Loretta S. Wilson, Jason M. Wallace to Andrew Lancaster, 151 Calais Dr., Maumelle, $204,000.

Accountable Property Management & Realty to Robert M. Hupp, 36 Pennsylvania Ct., $203,000.

Mark A. Minar, Wendy P. Minar to Paul V. Reynolds, 147 Hibiscus Dr., Maumelle, $203,000.

Omer Khalil, Bushra Shah to Muhammad B. Shah, 26 Trelon Dr., $201,000.

James F. Clark, II, Christina Clark to Gregory M. Morris, Mohy G. Morris, Maria T. Esquivel, L1D, Monroe Manor PRD Replat, $201,000.

Donna M. Bradshaw, Jerr y W. Bradshaw to Meridith L. Hamilton, 124 Kings Row Dr., $200,000.

Jesse Gibson, Amanda L. Gibson to Baylor L. Dennis, 1023 N. Polk, $196,000.

GDR Partners LLC to Carol A. Hennard, 2312 N. McKinley St., $195,000.

Herman L. Steen, Jr., Judith L. Steen to Christopher W. Abrams, Lindley F. Abrams, 524 W. B Ave., NLR, $192,000.

Rausch Coleman Mid Ark LLC to Tracy L. Grant, 1305 Myrna Ln., NLR, $191,000.

MLL Properties Inc. to Richard B. Whitner, Jr., Kimberly D. Whitner, 20

Rosewall Ln., $190,000.

Sanders Enterprises Inc. to Barbara J. Turner, L104, Bentley Circle, $189,000.

Kent D. Schneider, Joseph W. Loftin, II to Hayden D. Hughes, Jennifer E. Hughes, 2516 Cedar Creek Rd., NLR, $188,000.

Bruce L. Bennett, Kimberly Bennett to BAC Home Loans Servicing LP, Countrywide Home Loans Servicing LP, L15 B7, Midland Hills, $185,358.

Denise Anderson to Maxime Godart, 7003 Lucerne Dr., $184,000.

Deutsche Bank National Trust Company to Benjamin E. Muse, Kodi L. Muse, 11 Saint Croix Dr., Maumelle, $177,000 Stephen R. Eanes, Elizabeth F. Eanes to Paul A. Taggart, Anne Parker, 3000 Cleburne Pl., NLR, $175,000.

Daniel Mack, Deidra Mack to Diana C. Carey, 83 Diamond Pointe Dr., Maumelle, $174,000.

Scott E. Norwood, Harriett A. Norwood to , 9823 Merlot Ln., NLR, $173,559.

Greg Degarmo, Jema J. Degarmo to Federal National Mortgage Association, 9823 Merlot Ln., NLR, $173,559.

David B. Warner, Ceanne H. Warner to Charles W. Bolin, Brandi C. Bolin, 6 Hornrimme Pl., Maumelle, $167,000.

David W. Horton, Checola M. Horton to Arzell L. Phillips, L58, Cypress Crossing, $162,000.

James E. Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson to Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, 4600 N. Cypress St., NLR, $161,104.

Carol A. Borkowski Revocable Trust, Carol A. Borkowski to Venkata R. Bhrugubanda, Sridevi Kurichetty, L31, Rainwood II, $160,000.

Calvin O. Williams, Rita Williams to Kevin Mosely, 14113 Sweet Bay Dr., $160,000.

Marc Anthony Development LLC to Kevin Horton Properties LLC, L13, Counts Massie Industrial Park, $159,000.

Commissioner In Circuit to Lloyd A. & Marsha G. Friedman Living Trust, Lloyd A. Friedman, Marsha G. Friedman, Ls3-4 & 9-10, Grace Brown, $156,000.

Rob Galloway, Nickie Galloway to Karen V. Wallace, 13813 Sweet Bay Dr., $155,000.

Jack Langston, Kay Langston to Billy Stain Management & Maintenance LLC, 12713 Mac Arthur Dr., NLR, $155,000.

Lynda A. Yarbrough to Dustin Hennard, 615 N. Hughes St., $152,000.

Andrew D. Osborne, Kathleen A. Osborne to Michael Z. Forell, Penny G. Forell, NW SE 8-3N-14W, $152,000.

Quapaw Development Co. Inc. to Teresa Bogan, 2209 Stone Links Dr., NLR, $151,000.

Jason M. Kent, Shannon S. Kent to First Assembly Of God NLR, 10757 Stoneridge Dr., Sherwood, $150,000.

Elizabeth A. Stodola to Edward C. Girard, L148, Lindenwood, $149,000.

Wade M. Poole, Theola R. Poole to Prudential Relocation Inc., 10594 Stoneridge Ct., Sherwood, $147,000.

Prudential Relocation Inc. to Matthew Metz, 10594 Stoneridge Ct., Sherwood, $147,000.

Nicholas J. Russell, Venemany A. Russell to Larry M. Moore, Sr., 93 Westfield Loop, $146,000.

Sue E. Williams to Bonnie N. Martindale, 333 N. Schiller St., $145,000.

Charles L. Marlin, II, Sonya L. Marlin to Jennifer S. Agee, Levi R. Agee, 9 Cherrywood Ct., $145,000.

Commissioner In Circuit to Farmers Bank & Trust Company, Ls7-8 B15, Bellevue, $143,000.

4811 SUGAR MAPLE - $449,000.

Spacious 5BR/3.5BA home with office and bonus room, built in 1995.

Great multi-functional backyard.

Extensively updated! Susan Desselle, The Charlotte John Company, 7727100

Neighboring Communities 1480 W. LAWSON RD - $189,900. All brick on 3.5 acres in Alexander! 1850 SF, 3BR/2BA, hardwoods in great room and formal DR. Bryant schools.

Clyde Butler, CBRPM, 501-240-4300.

21854 WILLIAM BRANDON DRIVE - $168,500. Enjoy country living on five level acres only 15 minutes from downtown Little Rock! Like-new home with 4BR/2BA, wood-burning fireplace, granite counters, stainless appliances & more! Call Clyde Butler of CBRPM at 501-240-4300.

GREERS FERRY LAKE - Spectacular view! 5 acres. Owner/agent. 501825-6200 www.enchantedbluffestates.com

Conway 1110 TRILLIUM $152,000. Newly refreshed 3BR/2BA split plan w/new countertops, kitchen faucet and paint throughout. Gas log FP, wood floors and fenced yard. Close to schools!

MLS# 10266757 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501679-1103 1220 TRENTON - $123,000. Charming 3BR/2BA with all new carpet, paint, tile, appliances including refrigerator, light fixtures, countertops, door knobs and pulls. Must see! MLS# 10262073 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501730-1100 or 501-679-1103

3535 HOMESTEAD - $103,900.

Adorable 3BR/2BA split open plan with breakfast bar, side-by-side refrigerator, 2-inch faux wood blinds, laundry room and large deck with access thru kitchen and master.

MLS# 10272778 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501679-1103 5125 GALLERIA COVE - $209,000.

Stunning 3BR/2BA with open split plan, an abundance of built-ins and storage. Extraordinary lighting throughout, smooth top cooking surface, breakfast bar, walk-in pantry.

FP, screened in porch and fenced yard. MLS# 10268505 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-679-1103

Greenbrier 39 INDIAN SPRINGS - $166,500.

3BR/2BA new construction with gas fireplace, tile backsplash, smooth top cooking surface, microwave, pantry, jetted tub in master. Large deck with country view. MLS# 10257991 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-6791103 53 WIN MEADOW - $239,900.

A little bit of country with all the modern amenities! 4BR/3BA with large kitchen w/oak cabinetry, double pantry, cook’s dream island, breakfast nook with large windows.

Across from 55-acre lake. MLS# 10257940 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-6791103

No. 1208

31 BERNARD $149,000. Sparkles and shines like new! 3BR/2BA, huge living room with cathedral ceiling, oversized breakfast area, woodburning fireplace, large bedrooms, 2” blinds thru-out. Fenced yard. MLS# 10253781 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-6791103

Across

31 It might precede a collection: Abbr.

5 Workplace 32 Gunsʼ partner watchdog, for 33 Rapper parodied short

by Weird Al 9 “That ___ my Yankovic in “Amish question” Paradise” 14 Each 35 1979 film with 15 Mrs. Frisbyʼs Capt. Willard charges in “The and Col. Kurtz Secret of NIMH” 40 Universally known 16 See 26-Across 41 “Idylls of the 17 Home of Eastern King” lady Michigan 43 Motocross racer, University for short 19 Rodeo rope 46 Skating maneuver 20 Harry 47 P.F.C.ʼs Belafonteʼs punishment specialty 49 Some prayer 22 “___ natural” clothing 25 U.N. workersʼ 51 My ___, Vietnam grp.

52 ___-wolf 26 One may be lit 53 Undercover on a 16-Across operatives … or what are hiding 27 Veer off track in 17-, 20-, 3529 Pole, for one and 58-Across?

1 Shade of green

Edited by Will Shortz

14615 BROWN BEAR DR $299,900. Great 4BR/2.5BA, approx.

3015 SF home in the new Don Roberts School District. Plenty of space for the entire family. Formal dining room, office, family room & eat-in kitchen all downstairs. All bedrooms have large walk-in closets and master bath & closet are huge.

Side-loading garage & fully fenced yard. Call Bob Bushmiaer of Pulaski Heights Realty @ 501-352-0156 for more info or a private showing.

Conway

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

■ CROSSWORD

West Little Rock

D A M A G E

I N A N E R

O G L I N G

F T M E A D E

E E L S K I N

G R A S P I N G

S W I T E L I N A C O L M X T L A C O A T O V E E K E R S E N E R A G U S O N S E T S Q U A I O S T M B O S N E R M I N E E

S N O U T S L I P U P

G O T O E T H Y T O R E O Z A L O N L Y Y C C E E I O N Z E O S N L S J E T R L R E C I A S C A T P S O

I N A M O O D

T E T A N U S

S T O L E N

R A N K L E

57 Onetime TWA competitor 58 Leaf-eating insect scourge 62 Hundredth: Prefix 63 Gray ___ 64 Totʼs injury 65 Couldnʼt stand 66 Garden divisions 67 Post-baby boomer group, for short Down 1 Homer Simpsonʼs middle name 2 iPad download, in brief 3 First of a pair of lists 4 Awesome 5 How some medications are taken 6 Big name in Japanese electronics 7 U.R.L. start 8 Sale condition 9 35-Across, for one 10 North Pacific islander 11 Immobility 12 Longtime local 13 Finder of missing persons 18 Cubsʼ place 21 Most toilet seats 22 Turkish title 23 Result of trauma, maybe 24 Pack (down) 28 Bark 29 Russian space program started in the 1960s 30 Takes the top (off)

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Puzzle by Mike Nothnagel

33 Medical condition treated by thrombolysis 34 Lacking width and depth, for short 36 Screening aid 37 Something that canʼt be missed 38 Burden 39 ___ child (pregnant)

42 Hair salon stock 43 In and of itself 44 Title location in a Hemingway novel 45 Like rooms to rent 47 Where Manhattan is 48 Unfortunate circumstance

50 Correspond

51 Cartoon stinker

54 Food thickener

55 Greek deli specialty

56 Urban woe

59 Be short

60 Cookie holder

61 Do voodoo on

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Call Tiffany at 375-2985 for pricing and availability. www.arktimes.com • january 13, 2011 37 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 12, 2011 37

2011 resolved n The theme song of the Wyatt Earp TV show concluded with these words: “And none can deny it, the legend of Wyatt forever will live on the trail.” Who are these fools who wanted to deny the trail immortality of the Wyatt Earp legend? Whoever they are, one of them is not ol’ moi. And I’m not expecting to become one in 2011. So there’s my first New Year’s Resolution: If someone denies this year that Wyatt’s legend forever will live on the trail, it won’t be me.

Here’s another one. If the expiration date occurred in this century, then the product is still good as far as I’m concerned. If in 1999 I found a mallard hen that had been shot in the Wabbaseka Scatters and placed in my mother-inlaw-to-be’s food freezer, then called a deep freeze, in 1949, and had partaken of portions of it, whipped into a nice ripe pate, and had survived, and had even commented to weaker-stomached family members that old duck ages as gracefully as the tasty beverage called cold duck, then you’ll understand I’m not somebody you can scare with an expiration date.

The bottle containing my last Vioxxes says they expired in March of 2004 but I’m keeping the sons-a-bitches anyway and if it gets where I just have to take one

Bob L ancaster in order to convince the old woodchuck in me to go on chucking wood for just a little while longer, then I’ll take it, even if it has mushrooms growing on it, and tiny lungs emerging.

Also, I’m not going to spend even five minutes this year trying to disgust moles away from my yard by stuffing their tunnels with half-chewed wads of Juicy Fruit gum. This used to work. It cleared them out better than dynamite or DDT or any of the old tried-and-true remedies. Better than taunting them nocturnally with a bullhorn. But over ten years, they’ve acclimated to the smell, like we did when we lived out there by the big hog lot, to the point that last year they were nosing the sloppier Juicy Fruit wads home at night to give to their mole children, called molettes, as sweet treats. Infuriating.

At this point it looks like I’ll go with a mail-order company’s heavy wire grid that you hook up to a generator and bury about a foot deep in your yard and it sends

C

out a pulse that’ll electrocute any mole within a thousand yards, guaranteed, and also any burrowed-up snakes, armadillos, tarantulas, cicada larva, or old tramps. So if you’re an old tramp, consider yourself warned.

I’m going to do my best this year to remember more of what I have to look up so I won’t have to look it up. I’m always having to look up something that I looked up a week ago, or five minutes ago. Sometimes I’ll write it down so I’ll remember it, but then when I need it again I can’t find it. At least half my column-writing time is spent looking something up or re-looking it up. Maybe I should resolve instead to quit looking stuff up and start making it up, like Glenn Beck does. George Will makes crap up about climate change and they haven’t fired him. If you make up something at Fox News that goes unrefutiated for half a news cycle, they give you your own show. How do you think Huckabee got his?

Writing was once just a way of counting. It was all weights and measures. It was exteriorized exactly so you could look it up and wouldn’t have to carry a lot of useless information of this kind around in your head. When it came time to stash your barley in the bireme, both you and the Phoenician coxswain would mark it in your respective little pocket notebooks and you’d both know, and the purchaser

S

LASSIFIED LASSIFIED

Employment

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Field Workers-4 temp positions 10 months; job to begin 2/1/11 through 12/1/2011Duties: to operate tractors in the fields during the preparations, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $9.10 per hour; 3 months experience injob offered required. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ hours guaranteed in a work day during contract. Employment offered by Boone Farms located in LeCompte, LA. Qualified applicants may call Frank Hebert at 318-7765610 for interview.

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Legal Notices

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NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES 248-RFQ1101 The Arkansas Real Estate Commission is soliciting responses from qualified consultants to provide basic professional Architectural and Engineering design services as defined by the Arkansas Building Authority Minimum Standards and Criteria (ABA MSC) for miscellaneous site, exterior and interior renovations to their 12,000 square foot facility located at 612 South Summit Drive in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Responses received for this RFQ will be used to screen prospective consultants and select finalist for interview in accordance with the ABA MSC. The deadline for submitting detailed responses to this RFQ will be February 9, 2011. The State of Arkansas supports equal opportunity in the participation in all areas of capital improvements, therefore minority and women’s business enterprises are encouraged to participate. Interested parties may obtain a copy of this RFQ document on the Arkansas Real Estate Commission website at http://www.arec.arkansas.gov or by contacting Victoria Settles at the following address and phone number: Arkansas Real Estate Commission 612 South Summit Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: (501) 683-8044 Fax: (501) 683-8020

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Legal Notices Notice of Filing Application for Restaurant Beer and Wine permit.

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has filed an application with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division of the State of Arkansas for a permit to sell and serve beer and wine with food, only for consumption on the premises, at: 3 Rahling Circle, Ste. A-1, Little Rock, AR, Pulaski County.

Said application was filed on December 21, 2010. The undersigned states that he is a resident of Arkansas, of good moral character; that he has never been convicted of a felony or other crime involving moral turpitude; that no license to sell alcoholic beverages by the undersigned has ever been revoked within five (5) years last past; and, that the undersigned has never been convicted of violating the laws of this State, or any other State, relative to the sale of controlled beverages. Kawser Jamal for Palio’s Arkansas LLC

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Field Workers-4 temp positions 10 months; job to begin 2/1/11 through 12/1/11Duties: to operate tractors in the fields during the preparations, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $9.10per hr; 3 months experience in job offered required. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ hours guaranteed in a work day during contract. Employment offered by Blanchard & Patout, Inc. located in Jeanerette, LA. Qualified applicants should fax resume tol Kevin Blanchard at (337) 276-9445.

over on Atlantis would know how much to remit upon delivery. Very efficient.

All anybody had to worry about was the ship sinking en route. Or pirates. An old story, short and sweet, with no verbosity.

No speeches. No forensic posturing. No assembly instructions in Taiwanese. We screwed it up when we added abstractions. And adverbs.

I’m cutting out modifiers this year until what’s left bleeds.

I’ll not become a Facebook friend of anybody whose social-networking vita includes the claim of being able to toot “Jingle Bells” a mere half-hour after just one modest helping of pinto beans.

And here’s the deal on the toothpaste.

When it gets to where there’s a big, hard, dried, concrete-like gob of it blocking the tube opening where the long-lost cap used to be, making it so that getting a usable dab squeezed through there is like trying to extract it from a scabbed but still suppurating wound, and you have to squeeze the bastard so hard, with such exertion, that there’s a constant possibility that the dam will blow and your mirror and ceiling and nightshirt front and the underside of your chin will be Jackson Pollocked with red-striped toothpaste spackles and dribs, then I’m getting a new tube. I know that’s wasteful. It violates the letter and spirit of Heloise. And it’s not the way I was raised. But that’s how it has to be in 2011, I’m sorry.

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The To-do lisT

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➤➤➤ The comprehensive list of everything worth doing this weekend from Times entertainment editor, Lindsey Millar. Whether it’s live music, dance, theater or an exhibit, Lindsey steers you to the best. The To-Do List email newsletter arrives in your in-box every Wednesday afternoon with an& eyeGRILL toward RIVERMARKET BAR planning for your weekend. The To-Do List is a sure bet for your active life!

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